Student Researcher Resources
Contact Us / Visit Us
Kentucky Building - Hours: Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Harrison Baird Reading Room Policies
Closings: May 28, July 4
Phone: 270-745-5083
Resources
KenCat - an abbreviation for Kentucky Catalog of Online Collections. A searchable database that includes a wide variety of descriptions of books, manuscripts, photographs and objects housed in Special Collections Library and the Kentucky Museum. These materials do not circulate. kencat.wku.edu
TopScholar - name for the WKU Institutional Repository. TopSCHOLAR is a University-wide, centralized digital storehouse dedicated to scholarly research, creative activity and other full-text learning resources that merit enduring and archival value and permanent access. There you will find full-text documents such as theses, dissertations and articles, class lectures, audio and video files. digitalcommons.wku.edu
Special Collections Library section contains full-text historical documents, oversized photographs, maps, audio and video files as well as collection inventories. digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc/
One Search - name for the WKU Libraries consolidated search engine which gives users results across nearly all library collections with a relevant-ranked list similar to a Google search. www.wku.edu/library
Special Collections Library - a unique research center of primary sources for both the university community and general public users. Originally called the "Kentucky Library" with a mission to collect "all things Kentucky." We house rare books, photographs, sheet music, rare periodicals, and specialized research collections in diverse languages or formats dating from the 15th century to today.
Manuscript Collections - Manuscript material consists chiefly of letters; diaries; account books and business papers; literary papers; political papers; church and institutional minutes; theses; land grants; court records and a variety of other documents. Our materials concern mainly Kentucky and Kentuckians, providing details about daily life in many settings and on varied levels, but also relate to local, national and international events.
Folklife Archives - consist of papers and projects created by WKU folk studies faculty, undergraduate and graduate students about traditional and modern folk ways including folk songs, folk beliefs, regional speech patterns, ethnographic studies, occupational folklore, community surveys and vernacular architecture. Included is a vast archive of sound recordings in various formats of interviews, oral histories, and musical performances.
WKU Archives - holdings include but are not limited to administrative records, newspapers, minutes, departmental files, university publications, photographs, memorabilia and audiovisual materials
Research Strategies - research hints and tips for using KenCat and TopScholar.
Genealogy Resources - Research guide to genealogical materials in the WKU Special Collections Library and WKU Archives
Collection Highlights:
- Tim Lee Carter
- Church Records
- Civil War
- County Records
- Courtney M. Ellis
- Janice Holt Giles
- Green Family
- Kentucky Library Research Collections
- Sarah Gertrude Knott
- Mammoth Cave
- Lynwood Montell
- Research Strategies
- South Union Shakers
- Speakers
- Ruth Hines Temple
- TopScholar
- 20th-Century Wars
- Underwood Family
- Vernon White
- WKU Archives
Internship & Volunteer Opportunities
Student Jobs - Special Collections typically employs 4 to 5 student workers per school year. Contact us at spcol@wku.edu to inquire.
Some of the links on this page may require additional software to view.