Informed by an understanding of gaps in its collections, the University of Kentucky (UK) Nunn Center for Oral History has turned its collection efforts inward, to the people and the stories at the university. In this session, three UK archivists and oral historians describe the Center’s recent efforts to interview and engage with groups on campus who have been historically underrepresented in the collections. Legal Histories: Documenting Law School Alumni from the Post-Civil Rights Era Anu Kasarabada, University of Kentucky
Anu Kasarabada will discuss the UK College of Law’s efforts to strengthen ties with Black alumni from the post-Civil Rights era through oral history interviews. These alumni have historically been left out of the law school’s narratives about itself; now the school hopes to build new relationships with its former students by recording their stories.
Building Bridges: A Chronicle of Diversity and Dialogue - The Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies Oral History Project Matthew Strandmark, University of Kentucky
Matthew Strandmark will discuss his oral history project, focused on the scholarship and lives of faculty members of the Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies, a multi-disciplinary research institute that serves as a “think tank for Black Studies” at the University of Kentucky. Interviews with CIBS faculty cover the importance of community when building a diverse faculty, as well as the importance of cross cultural conversations and multi-disciplinary inquiry. Expanding Horizons: The Evolving Work of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History Kopana Terry, University of Kentucky
Kopana Terry will discuss the evolving nature of The Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky. Traditionally focused on political figures, the Center has expanded globally in the past 15 years, incorporating diverse life histories. Initially centered on Kentucky, the collection now includes stories worldwide, spanning topics like Black experiences, LGBTQ+ narratives, and climate and health challenges. Recently, the focus shifted to capturing diverse stories within the University of Kentucky community.ABSTRACT: For most of its 50 years, the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky (UK) focused on collecting interviews with political and public figures in the Commonwealth. Over the past fifteen years, however, the Nunn Center has broadened its collections beyond politics and state borders by adding thousands of interviews from across the country and around the world, from Pennsylvania to Egypt. This effort has resulted in the inclusion of the life histories of Black people, women, LGBTQ+ groups, people with disabilities, people grappling with climate change and COVID-19, and other subject areas previously outside the collection scope. Now, the Center’s collection efforts have turned inward, to the people and the stories at the University of Kentucky. In this session, three archivists and oral historians from the University of Kentucky describe the Nunn Center’s recent efforts to interview and engage with campus communities that have been historically underrepresented in the collections. Kopana Terry will provide an overview of the Center’s current projects and documentation strategies, particularly as they relate to oral histories of academics and other educators. Anu Kasarabada will discuss the UK College of Law’s efforts to strengthen ties with Black alumni from the post-Civil Rights era through oral history interviews. And Matt Strandmark will talk about his oral history project focused on the scholarship and lives of the UK Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies, a multi-disciplinary research institute that serves as a “think tank for Black Studies.”
