Research Guides: Historical Research: Researching UK Special Collections & Archives

Kentucky Collections

the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) should be your first stop for Kentucky-specific primary sources.

SCRC collects, preserves, and provides access to materials documenting the social, cultural, economic, and political history of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Special Collections Research Center is home to UK Libraries' collection of rare books, Kentuckiana, the Archives, the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, the King Library Press, the Bert T. Combs Appalachian Collection, the John G. Heyburn II Initiative for Excellence in the Federal Judiciary, and the Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center.

Here is a list of tools to find some of the SCRC's materials.

ExploreUK
ExploreUK is the gateway to many of University of Kentucky Libraries’ rare and unique resources, particularly those housed in the Special Collections Research Center. Materials include manuscript collections, University of Kentucky archives, rare books, photographs, organizational records, newspapers, maps, architectural drawings, government publications, and more. The collections document the social, cultural, economic, and political history of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, but also include materials of national and international significance.
Kentucky Digital Newspapers Program
Kentucky's National Digital Newspaper Program (KY-NDNP) website offers comprehensive lists of the University of Kentucky's digitized historic newspapers available in both the Kentucky Digital Library and the Library of Congress' Chronicling America.

Lexington Herald-Leader Photographs
Consists of more than 2 million unique photographic negatives. The collection also contains associated newspaper clippings, job sheets, and hand-written photographers' notes. The LHL photographs are a source of photographic evidence of the many historical, cultural, and industrial changes that have shaped Lexington and the surrounding region. The scope of the collection highlights the day-to-day activities of Kentuckians. It follows the changing urban landscape of Lexington; the agricultural, tobacco, and horse racing industries; key national events such as World War II and Vietnam; as well as notable regional and national figures. It is the most extensive, single collection of still photographic images documenting Lexington's 20th Century history in existence.

SPOKEdb: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History Collection Catalog
Contains the records for over 8,000 interviews and nearly 300 oral history projects. Allows users to browse the collections and projects based on subjects or names or conduct a search of the collections, projects, and interviews. Users can follow links from the catalog record to interviews or projects that are available online or request to use interviews that are not yet online by using the online form.

Additional Kentucky-specific resources include:

Kentucky Digital Library
Online finding aids and digitized material from archival collections across the state of Kentucky, particularly small academic institutions and public libraries. Note that content from UK, UofL, and others is not available on the new KDL. Many previous partners now provide access via their own institutions digital libraries. See ExploreUK for access to UK content.