ART + FEMINISM Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon
Posted: March 22, 2023 Filed under: Art Library, Ekstrom Library, Events, University of Louisville Libraries | Tags: feminism, Wikipedia Leave a commentWikipedia has fewer and less extensive articles about women (cis and trans), non-binary people, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. This lack of representation means that information on the world’s 10th most visited website is skewed. Real history documenting these segments of our population is not available.
That’s why we’re participating in the ART + FEMINISM Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon.
All are welcome to join us in creating new entries and enhancing existing entries focused on representing these under-represented groups and their contributions to the arts.
March 29, 2023
3:00 – 7:00 pm
Online (via Zoom) or
In-Person (Ekstrom Library Room W103)
Come be a part of the solution!
For more information and to register, visit https://library.louisville.edu/art/wikiedit.
Libraries and DTC sponsor A Taste of Technology event
Posted: February 23, 2023 Filed under: Ekstrom Library, Events, Kornhauser Health Sciences Library, Services, Technology, University of Louisville, University of Louisville Libraries Leave a commentMany free resources are available to the UofL community that offer the digital skills needed in today’s workforce. UofL’s Digital Transformation Center and the University Libraries invite you to attend a free virtual two-day event, Taste of Technology, on March 2-March 3.
The Libraries will host a watch party on March 2 for UofL students, faculty, and staff from 9:45 am-2:45 pm on the first floor of Ekstrom Library in the CLC/117A. Reservations are not required, but an RSVP is appreciated.
Speakers from LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft, Adobe, and IBM will cover a variety of topics and discuss these free resources available to students, faculty, and staff. A conversation on ChatGPT concludes the event’s first day.
After registering, participants will receive one link to access the event at their convenience. The event will start at 9:45 am each day with a brief introduction, then on each hour, vendor partners of the University of Louisville will make presentations.
Biennial Benchmark Survey helps University Libraries improve.
Posted: February 16, 2023 Filed under: Archives & Special Collections, Art Library, Ekstrom Library, Kornhauser Health Sciences Library, Law Library, Music Library, University Archives & Records Center, University of Louisville Libraries, User Experience | Tags: assessment, feedback, library assessment, surveys, User Experience Leave a commentBy Anita Hall, Assessment Librarian
The University Libraries Benchmark Survey, released in February, is one of the primary ways we obtain feedback from the UofL community. It covers all of our campus libraries, and has existed in some form since 2001.
We do our best to read every comment and make real improvements to the campus libraries each time this survey goes out. Sometimes the results show clear areas for improvement, such as the need for more electrical outlets, or for creating graduate study space, or for beefing up journals in certain subject areas. Often the Benchmark survey results are a starting point for more research. For example, if we see that something isn’t meeting people’s needs, we learn more about the specific issues and possible solutions and use the time between surveys to do that follow-up work. Either way, we’re committed to listening, learning, and evolving to better serve the University community.
Our most recent survey was conducted in April 2021, when we made a major update to the survey instrument. We work with UofL’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness to administer the survey, and they generate a random sample of about 50% of the university community. Not everyone receives a survey and we are dependent upon those who take time to fill it out.
What did we learn that last time around? Overall, it seems like we’re doing pretty well. The vast majority (87.47% or 1612) of 2021 respondents said that they have used the Libraries in some way during the prior year. Of course, due to the pandemic a lot more people were using the Libraries virtually than in previous years, but we were very happy to learn that so many people were still finding ways to use our collections, services, and spaces. For people who said they did not use the Libraries, the top reason was that they just haven’t needed to – but will when the need arises. We also asked respondents to rate the Libraries overall on a scale of 0 to 10, and the average score was 8.32. This was up slightly from the previous survey, so we were happy to see that we have been making improvements!
We learned that people were struggling to find group study spaces, and added additional group study rooms on the second floor of Ekstrom. We’ve updated the lighting in the Art Library. We’ve been hard at work adding diverse materials to the collections at all campus libraries. We’ve made updates to the website, including a big refresh of the Archives & Special Collections site.
We’ll update you soon about the feedback gleaned in this year’s survey. Until then, we appreciate your input!
Archives and Special Collections receives all congressional records from Representative John Yarmuth
Posted: January 3, 2023 Filed under: Archives & Special Collections, Collections, Ekstrom Library, Librarianship / Archivy, Louisville, Louisville History, New Items, People, Primary Sources, University of Louisville, University of Louisville Libraries | Tags: donation, House of Representatives, John Yarmuth, kentucky legislature Leave a commentBy Jill Scoggins
Retiring U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth announced Dec. 15 he is donating his congressional papers to University Archives and Special Collections at the University of Louisville. The new collection includes working drafts of legislation he sponsored, correspondence, recorded interviews and a multitude of other materials that trace his congressional record.
Yarmuth represents Kentucky’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Now in his eighth term, he has served as Chairman of the House Budget Committee since 2019.
Yarmuth has been recognized for his work to improve education, expand access to affordable health care and for his leadership in enacting the American Rescue Plan, legislation that responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the U.S. economy.
“At its core, everything I’ve done in Congress has been about serving the Louisville community, so I can think of no final act more fitting than turning over this historical record to our flagship university,” Yarmuth said. “In the hands of University of Louisville’s students, faculty and staff, I’m hopeful that my work will continue to serve the community for generations to come.”
“For 16 years, John Yarmuth worked tirelessly to represent the interests of the people of the Third District including the University of Louisville,” said UofL Interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez. “We are thrilled that the documentation of this service will be housed at the University of Louisville for future researchers to draw upon. As he closes out his congressional service, we thank him both for his work on behalf of our district and for this priceless gift to future generations of students, faculty and scholars to be archived at UofL.”
“We are extremely honored to add Rep. Yarmuth’s papers to University Archives and Special Collections,” said Carrie Daniels, UofL university archivist and director of archives and special collections. “His collection represents a wide-ranging documentation of key events over the past 16 years.”
The collection comprises both digital and paper materials, including documentation that traces Yarmuth’s time in the House of Representatives. Included are working drafts of legislation he sponsored, correspondence, recorded interviews and a multitude of other materials that trace his Congressional record. University of Louisville archivist Heather Fox worked closely with the House Archivist at the U.S. House of Representatives to prepare the transfer.
Yarmuth’s contributions to UofL include serving as a visiting professor for several semesters. The Yarmuth family also established the Yarmuth Book Award endowment in 1987 in honor of his father Stanley Yarmuth that awards a book, chosen by a UofL committee, to qualifying high school juniors throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
Throughout his tenure in the House, Yarmuth has sponsored legislation or otherwise secured funding that supports research and other programs at UofL. Most recently, in September, he secured $750,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education to launch the Robotics and Additive Manufacturing Pathways to SUCCESS program aimed at preparing workers for the automated workplaces of the future that involve collaborative human-machine interfaces and 3D printing.
Born and raised in Louisville, Yarmuth graduated from Atherton High School and Yale University. He and his wife, Cathy, have one son, Aaron; daughter-in-law Sarah, and grandsons J.D. and Rory. His retirement from the U.S. House was effective Jan. 2, 2023.
University Libraries Recent Promotions and Honors
Posted: December 6, 2022 Filed under: Ekstrom Library, Kornhauser Health Sciences Library, Librarianship / Archivy, People, University of Louisville, University of Louisville Libraries Leave a commentRecently several University Libraries employees have been honored with promotions, awards or grants.
Alex Howard, Business and Entrepreneurship Librarian, and Fannie Cox, Outreach and Reference Librarian, both from Ekstrom Library’s Research Assistance and Instruction department, were awarded grants from the Office of Community Engagement Gheens Foundation Mini Grant Program. Howard received a grant based on her research study titled, Engaged Learning & Entrepreneurship: Supporting Campus & Community Collaboration. Cox was awarded a grant for “The Friends of Parkland Library Raise Awareness Project” to support the newly reopened Parkland Library.
The grants support programs which “will directly benefit the community through direct service, research, or outreach in collaboration with community partners.” Priority was given to projects in collaboration with underrepresented communities such as west and south Louisville, the immigrant and refugee community, rural communities, or the international community. Awardees were honored on Oct. 14 during an Awards Ceremony at the 2022 Community Engagement Luncheon.
Anita Hall, Assessment and Analytics Librarian, was recently awarded the Kentucky Library Association (KLA) Kentucky Libraries Feature Article of the Year Award for the article: The Impact of the Early COVID-19 Pandemic Response on Kentucky’s Library Workforce. Co-authored with Brandi Duggins, the article examines initial library responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky and their effect on library workers. A study reveals that over 30% of respondents were affected by some type of employment-related measure, with 11% either furloughed or laid off.
The Libraries have promoted two librarians to assistant professor: Gina Genova, a Clinical Librarian with Kornhauser Medical Sciences Library, and Alex Howard, Business and Entrepreneurship Librarian with Ekstrom Library.
Genova started at the University of Louisville’s Kornhauser Health Sciences Library in November 2020 while the university was still working remotely due to COVID. Since then, she has worked with students across the health sciences campus and with several clinical departments, primarily pediatrics and otolaryngology. So far, her research has focused on finishing reporting for a fellowship project from her graduate program and on joining evidence synthesis projects, such as systematic reviews, with HSC faculty. She has presented work on systematic reviews at the Medical Library Association’s annual conference, and serves as an ambassador for the Kentucky region of the Network of the National Library of Medicine.
Howard began work in 2020 as an instructor and was promoted to assistant professor after two years of service. As the Business Research & Teaching Librarian, her primary role is to serve as the liaison to the College of Business and offer research assistance and instruction to students, faculty, and staff. She serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group for the University Libraries and in 2021 was appointed by the university president to serve on our university’s Commission on Diversity and Racial Equity. Her research as a tenure-track faculty member investigates how universities can support local Black-owned businesses in their communities.
She was selected to participate in the American Library Association’s 2022 class of Emerging Leaders, a prestigious national program that only accepts up to 50 participants annually from across the country. She was also named an Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Member of the Week in that same year.
In addition to her promotion to assistant professor, she was appointed to the role of Engaged Learning Coordinator for University Libraries starting November 1, 2022.
Contemporary Classical Collection of Dr. Jon Rieger Donated to Music Library
Posted: October 27, 2022 Filed under: Collections, donor, Ekstrom Library, Kentucky, Louisville, Music Library, New Items, People, University of Louisville, University of Louisville Libraries | Tags: classical music, contemporary classical music, donation, donor, Jon Rieger, Music Library, sociology, UofL Leave a commentUofL Sociology professor Dr. Jon Rieger, who died in 2020 at age 83, distinguished himself in many areas beyond a remarkable 60-year academic career, including as a pioneer in visual sociology, as a US Navy captain, as a board member and patron of Louisville community and arts organizations, and as the author of a seminal bodybuilding manual.
Beyond these achievements and closer to the hearts of the local artistic community was Rieger’s strong impact on their creative work and lives. He functioned as a mentor, sounding board, supporter, caring critic, and advocate for many local musicians, photographers, painters and dancers. His obituary captures the love and respect they had for a man passionately devoted to fine art in its multi-varied forms.
One of Rieger’s strong, lifelong passions was contemporary classical music, which led him to amass a vast collection of recordings in various formats. Some are extremely rare, perhaps singular, from such locations as Russia, China, Eastern Europe, and the Americas, many gathered abroad during his years of active duty in the Navy.
Due to Rieger’s generosity and the University Libraries great fortune, these recordings are now publicly available at UofL’s Music Library. The new Jon Rieger Collection contains around 7,000 recordings (circa 4,000 LPs, 2,500 CDs and some 200 cassettes). Due to the size of the collection, the library’s process of cataloging is ongoing, but all recordings are available for borrowing or enjoying on site.
“Many of the recordings were collected while he traveled the world in the Navy and sought out recordings from other countries,” said Music Library Director James Procell. “So what you see in this collection are some extremely rare recordings, many of which were never commercially available in the US. He ordered pressings of particular broadcasts he encountered on the BBC, Radio Netherlands or on other international stations, so it’s possible these are the only recordings.”
A true audiophile, Rieger created a sophisticated sound environment in his home with two massive speakers for high-quality listening, said Procell. “He enjoyed sharing this experience with others and would often invite friends over for listening sessions and parties.”
In 2015 after Procell became Music Library director, Rieger reached out to him to arrange the library’s acquisition of his collection “when he was done with it” (i.e. upon his death). He wanted it to go to UofL, but remain separate from the Library’s main holdings.
“Typically, we can’t do that for most individual donors, but since Rieger’s collection is so unique and distinguished and expansive, we agreed to create a separate area for it. Not many people collect these types of sound recordings anymore, or have these big physical collections, so this is particularly special.”
Procell also plans to create a separate listening area with comfortable seating and headphones, so that students, faculty, researchers and the public can come and enjoy the music and browse the stacks at their leisure. The Music Library will organize the collection by record label, following Rieger’s own printed catalog of works and method of organization, which he updated until 2018.
“Anyone can check out the albums even though not all of them are cataloged as yet,” said Procell. “All are browse-able and on the shelves.”
Procell has been aided in his curation of Rieger’s collection by Louisville cellist, songwriter, and storyteller Ben Sollee. In Rieger’s obituary, Sollee says that Rieger “built a family around his love of the arts . . . that he affectionately coined the ‘Tin Ear Society.’ This expansive family of dancers, musicians, composers, photographers, writers, visual artists and creatives were all connected by his mentorship, patronage, and radically honest critiques of our work. He helped us make better and more meaningful art. And, importantly, he never missed an opportunity to get us all together to enjoy Louisville’s bounty of performances. He taught us all, as both a sociologist and Big Brother, that great art is the product of and the fuel that grows thriving communities.”
“Jon was a huge supporter of the arts,” said Procell. “He financially supported causes he thought were important, including various arts organizations, and individual artists, photographers, dancers and musicians.”
“He was a very good friend of the Music Library and the School of Music and is missed by everyone here that knew him.”
Herstory Exhibit Reveals Legal History of Chinese American Women
Posted: October 4, 2022 Filed under: Ekstrom Library, Exhibits, University of Louisville Libraries Leave a commentThe stories of Chinese American women who prevailed in legal battles in American courts are the focus of the traveling exhibit “Herstory 2: The Legal History of Chinese American Woman” now showing in Ekstrom Library through mid-October.
The exhibit features rare photographs and case descriptions of efforts by Chinese-American women to gain legal standing in the U.S. It is shown on the tall display tables in Ekstrom Library’s east side first floor and was launched to coincide with the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday.
Beginning in 1852, the exhibit documents women who fought for equal treatment in the eyes of the law, for citizenship and the right to public education. At a time of public debate around immigration and national identity, this exhibit sheds light on the brave women who fought for their rights, and, in doing so, helped shape a brighter future for younger generations.
The women profiled in the exhibit cleared a path for Chinese American women to gain basic legal standing in the US, and according to the curator’s notes, disproved the ancient Chinese saying that “Only unpleasant endings emerge from lawsuits.“
Exhibit materials are drawn from the personal collection of Dr. Chang C. Chen, a U.S. attorney and author who was born in Taiwan who has also served as a Taiwan senator and television host in Hong Kong. She has long advocated for the rights of Taiwanese and worked pro bono to bring legal challenges in support of Chinese Americans.
This exhibition is the second of the “Herstory” series Dr. Chen curated. While the collection started as a small personal project, the exhibit has toured and appeared in international libraries and museums in Taiwan, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hawaii, and New York, among other cities. When she started this project, a search in the index of the Library of Congress for the phrase “Chinese American Women” yielded not a single result, now thanks to Herstory, tens of thousands of entries exist.
UofL Photo Archives receives full collection of Courier Journal photography
Posted: September 29, 2022 Filed under: Archives & Special Collections, Art Library, Collections, donor, Ekstrom Library, Kornhauser Health Sciences Library, Librarianship / Archivy, Louisville, Louisville History, New Items, Photographic Archives, Photographs, Primary Sources, University Archives & Records Center, University of Louisville, University of Louisville Libraries Leave a commentA treasure trove of roughly three million images have been donated to UofL’s Photo Archives by current and former owners of Louisville’s Courier Journal newspaper.
The Courier Journal – winner of 11 Pulitzer Prizes throughout its 154-year history – and its parent company Gannett have transferred its library of photographs and negatives to UofL Archives and Special Collections. Many of the images are iconic and capture important historical moments in the last century.
Members of Louisville’s Bingham family, which owned the newspaper from 1918 to 1986, have made a separate donation to support the collection, including preserving it, preparing it for use by the public, and developing programming to enable the public to engage with it.
Their combined generosity is creating the Barry Bingham Jr. Courier-Journal Photo Collection, a unique journalistic collection of local, state and national importance.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Courier Journal, Gannett, Emily Bingham, Molly Bingham and the rest of the Bingham family for making this historic gift possible,” UofL President Lori Gonzalez said. “Generations of readers saw these photos in their daily newspaper each morning, and now, future generations will continue to be able to study and appreciate the insight they provide into the history of our city, state, nation and world.”
“This gift will allow the Courier Journal to retain the legacy of our work through this collection of historic photographs,” said Courier Journal Editor Mary Irby-Jones. “It is important for us to preserve and share our work with others so our community can learn about the history of Louisville as captured through our photographers in the field for more than 150 years. The Courier Journal is honored to entrust this priceless archive to the care of the University of Louisville for the purpose of making the collection available to the community for research and scholarship.”
“For most of a decade, it has been our dream to honor our father by finding a permanent, public home for the Courier Journal’s photographic collection,” said Emily and Molly Bingham. “This visual treasure is a testament to his dedication to high quality journalism, his passion for photography, his love of archives and his commitment to public access to information. He is up there somewhere today, smiling and joyfully twirling his trademark handlebar mustache.”
About the Barry Bingham Jr. Courier-Journal Photo Collection
The collection, consisting of images created by the photo department that served both the Courier Journal and the afternoon Louisville Times newspapers, chronicles daily happenings and major events from approximately the mid-1930s to the early 2000s when digital photography began to replace the use of film to capture images. The collection doubles the size of UofL’s photo holdings. It might have dated back further, but the Great Flood of 1937 destroyed much of the newspaper’s photo and negative library.
“The collection chronicles the civil rights movement, World War II, the Kentucky Derby through the years, presidential visits, changes in the built environment, and numerous public appearances and behind-the-scenes images of world leaders and celebrities,” said Archives and Special Collections Director Carrie Daniels. “Basically, all of the changes happening within our country were captured in these photographs.”
“It’s an incredible collection,” Elizabeth Reilly, photo archivist, said, “and with any large-scale acquisition like this, it will take years to process, organize and add information to the collection, to make images discoverable and usable by the public.
“A small portion of the collection will be available online in the near future, and, as we process the amazing imagery it contains, we will be opening up bigger and bigger parts of the collection to the public, making it accessible to everyone who wants to see it.”
Reilly credited Barry Bingham Jr., the third and last Bingham family member to serve as the paper’s publisher, for his devotion to setting high standards for the photography his newspaper published. The Courier Journal won two Pulitzer Prizes for photojournalism during his tenure.
“He was a huge supporter of high-quality photojournalism,” Reilly said. “He grew and improved the quality of photography in the newspaper through investments, hiring talented photojournalists, and giving them time and travel budget to capture visual information beyond the news moment or press release. That commitment to quality is reflected in the collection and adds to its national significance.”
Daniels cited the increase in scholarship and creative potential that the collection will bring to UofL. “Our Photographic Archives already contain 2-3 million historical, documentary and fine art images dating from the 19th century to today that capture faces, buildings, landscapes and events from around the world, with a focus on Louisville and Kentucky. These images have appeared in scholarly or artistic work, including filmmaker Ken Burns’s documentaries, Dustbowl, Prohibition and Baseball. This dramatically increases our ability to provide images that everyone, including scholars and artists, will be able to use going forward, and we are very excited about that.”
The Barry Bingham Jr. Courier-JournalPhoto Collection Endowment is seeking additional contributions to support the organization, digitization, library services and public programming for this remarkable resource.
To make a contribution or for more information, contact Denise Bohn, denise.bohn@louisville.edu.
University Libraries Staff Honored for Longevity and Service
Posted: August 22, 2022 Filed under: Art Library, Ekstrom Library, Librarianship / Archivy, People, University of Louisville, University of Louisville Libraries Leave a commentThree long-time University Libraries staff members were honored recently with the Staff Service Recognition Award for their long history of employment and service at UofL. At a reception on July 19, President Lori Gonzalez and Brian Buford, Head of the Employee Success Center, presented awards to Kathy Moore, Circulation Manager at the Bridwell Art Library (45 years); Andy Clark, Ekstrom Library Facilities Coordinator (15 years); and Anthony Iles, Technology Specialist with Kornhauser Health Sciences Library (15 years).
Kathy Moore began her career with the Art Library in 1975 as an undergraduate at UofL, working as a student assistant while earning her Bachelor of Science in Biology major. When a staff position opened with the Art Library, she jumped at it and never looked back. She remembers using the card catalog and “our oh-so-futuristic IBM Selectric II Correcting typewriter with changeable font balls.”
As one of only three staff employees who have worked for 45 years honored at the event, Moore was invited to speak to all attendees.
A 1988 UofL alum, Andy Clark worked with UPS before coming to Ekstrom Library as a Facilities Coordinator in 2007. Clark said Ekstrom was his favorite place on campus during this student days, but thought the building – built in 1981 – seemed old and dated. He has been glad to see the improvements and renovations in the library over the past 15 years.
Anthony Iles has worked as a Technology Specialist at Kornhauser for two years, formerly working as an Inter Library Loan Assistant, Library Assistant and Clinical Research Assistant. Prior to joining Kornhauser, he briefly worked for Humana Corporation.
Kornhauser Library “provides a unique service to the medical community,” Iles said, “whether face to face and/or virtual, which allows us to help those doing research get information they need. The reason I have stayed at Kornhauser Library is because I enjoy the work that I do and the people I work with. We are a great ‘work family.’”
The reception was hosted by the Employee Success Center to honor all employees who have worked at least 10 years for UofL.
Libraries Archivist Joins Effort to Clean Flood-Damaged Materials at Appalshop in Whitesburg, KY
Posted: August 3, 2022 Filed under: Archives & Special Collections, Ekstrom Library, Kentucky, Librarianship / Archivy, Photographic Archives, University of Louisville Libraries | Tags: appalachia, appalachian history, Appalshop, archives, archivist 1 CommentUniversity of Louisville Libraries Archivist Heather Fox recently traveled to Whitesburg, KY to assist in cleaning and preserving damaged archives at Appalshop, an arts and education center focused on Appalachian culture. The organization’s building and contents were badly damaged during recent flooding in Eastern Kentucky where rainfall swelled the North Fork of the Kentucky River and inundated Whitesburg’s downtown.
The organization’s archive holds roughly 20,000 items, including oral histories, musical recordings, film, videotape, records and photos. Some of the film and videotape was seen in the streets following the flooding. Efforts to retrieve and clean archives will be slow and painstaking but necessary to preserve the rich historical record of Appalachian culture.
Fox, who directs Archives and Special Collections’ Oral History Center, joined a number of archivists from around the state who will assist in moving Appalshop’s video and film collection into freezer trucks, among other tasks.
If you need help or have help to give, go to appalshop.org/floodsupport.
University of Louisville Libraries News 