HIS 351/AAS 400 - Black Environmental Freedom Struggles in U.S. History: Home

Welcome to the world of archival research! Special collections libraries are a special type of library, usually called an archive(s). The Special Collections Research Center at the University of Kentucky is your local gateway to engaging research and scholarship by investigating the past and interrogating the present. The Special Collections Research Center sustains the Commonwealth's memory and serves as the essential bridge between past, present and future. By preserving materials documenting the social, cultural, economic and political history of Kentucky, the SCRC provides rich opportunities for students to expand their worldview and enhance their critical thinking skills. SCRC materials are used by scholars worldwide to advance original research and pioneer creative approaches to scholarship. 

Anyone wishing to order digital scans, view SCRC materials, visit the Breckinridge Research Room for in-person use of materials, or use the Breckinridge Digital Studio must first create an SCRC Researcher Account.

Use your Researcher Account to request retrieval of SCRC materials so they are ready and waiting for you when you arrive for your appointment. Since most of our collections are stored off-site, we ask that you request materials at least five business days prior to ensure availability.

Your Researcher Account allows you to:

• Request materials for in-person use
• Schedule an appointment, to view requested materials in the Breckinridge Research Room
• Request digital scans, at no cost, of SCRC materials not already digitized and available for download on ExploreUK
• Request oral histories from the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History not already available for download on SPOKE
• Request digital scans, at no cost, of SCRC books and print materials, including rare books, using the UK Libraries' catalog, InfoKat

Historical Language Note

You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.

If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.

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The green button above opens a pop-up app that will show available appointments. Use can use this green button anywhere it appears in our system to book an appointment in the research room. Appointments are available 7 days in advance. Please email scrc@uky.edu should you need an appointment sooner.

Note: If you already have an appointment scheduled and are submitting additional materials requests, you do not need to schedule another appointment. You may submit multiple requests for each appointment.

All visitors to the Special Collections Research Center will be required to:

• Have a confirmed appointment
• Wear a properly fitting mask
• Research alone, one person at a time per table
• Use the locker assigned to you, on separate ends and sides of the locker cabinet
• Stay at least 6 feet apart from other visitors and staff
• Follow all the usual research room use procedures (no pens, no food, one box and folder at a time, etc.)
• Place materials that have been used on a red quarantine cart before leaving

The doors to the building will be locked.  Please ring buzzer upon your arrival,  a staff member will let you in at your pre-confirmed appointment time.

• A maximum of THREE researchers will be allowed in the research room at any given time
• A maximum of ONE user will be allowed in the Digital Studio at any given time

A staff member will escort you to the Breckinridge Research Room on the 2nd floor.  Elevator use will be one person at a time.