The Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, also known as The Nunn Center, the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

, is one of the premier oral history centers in the world, known for a comprehensive oral history archival collection, ongoing interviewing projects, as well as being an innovator with regard to enhancing access to archived oral history interviews. The Nunn Center maintains a collection of over 14,000 oral history interviews made up of over 600 projects with an emphasis on: 20th century history; Appalachia; agriculture; African American history; the history of education; immigration; politics, and public policy; LGBTQ+; athletics; the arts; Kentucky writers; quilters and quilting; gender; diversity; the Civil Rights Movement; veterans' experiences; the history of the University of Kentucky; the Peace Corps; the history of healthcare; and industries including the coal, equine, and bourbon industries. Although the Nunn Center began focusing on Kentucky history exclusively, it has expanded to also document oral history projects with national and international significance. The Nunn Center for Oral History is part of the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center.

History

The oral history program at the University of Kentucky Libraries was established in 1973 by Charles Atcher. The Center is named after former Kentucky Governor

Louie B. Nunn Louie Broady Nunn (March 8, 1924 – January 29, 2004) was an American politician who served as the 52nd governor of Kentucky. Elected in 1967, he was the only Republican to hold the office between the end of Simeon Willis's term in 1947 and ...

. From 1974 until 2005, the program was directed by Terry Birdwhistell, Ed.D. followed by Jeffrey Suchanek. Since 2008, the Nunn Center has been directed by Doug Boyd, Ph.D.

Collection

The Nunn Center contains over 14,000 oral history interviews featuring a variety of individuals and projects. Significant oral history projects include: the Family Farm Project, the Colonel Arthur L. Kelly Veterans Oral History Project,

history, African American history in Kentucky, Kentucky writers, Kentucky's medical history, the history of professional baseball, as well as more recent project featuring the Horse Industry in Kentucky, as well as on the

Kentucky General Assembly The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in ...

Digitization

The Nunn Center has aggressively undertaken efforts to digitize its collection. In 2014 it accelerated efforts to digitize its audio and video collection and is nearing completion of digitization of analog oral history interviews.

Oral History Metadata Synchronizer (OHMS)

In 2008, the Nunn Center launched the Oral History Metadata Synchronizer (OHMS) online interface that synchronizes searchable text to audio and video. This free and open-source software system, designed by Nunn Center director Doug Boyd, Ph.D., enhances access to online oral history by empowering users to link from their search results to corresponding moments in the oral history interview. The OHMS system was featured in an article in the ''

Chronicle of Higher Education ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals (staff members and administrators). A subscription is required to r ...

'' in July 2011.

SPOKEdb

In October 2011, the Nunn Center launche
SPOKEdb
the online catalog and repository containing records for each oral history interview and project in the Nunn Center's archival collection. Designed by Doug Boyd, Ph.D., SPOKEdb functions as the primary access point for the Nunn Center's oral history collection. Initially, SPOKEdb was designed for Drupal, and in more recent years SPOKEdb uses Omeka as the content management system. The initial migration to Omeka was managed by Eric Weig and Michael Slone, current development of SPOKEdb is managed by Eric Weig. Doug Boyd, In addition to functioning as an online catalog and repository, SPOKEdb functions as an oral history collection management tool.

Featured projects

* African American Farmers *

Alben Barkley Alben William Barkley (; November 24, 1877 – April 30, 1956) was an American lawyer and politician from Kentucky who served in both houses of Congress and as the 35th vice president of the United States from 1949 to 1953 under Presid ...

* Black Church in Kentucky * Blacks in Kentucky * Blacks in Lexington
Anne Braden Oral History Project

Edward T. Breathitt

Buffalo Trace Distillery
* A.B. "Happy" Chandler * Christian Appalachian Project * Earle C. Clements * Bert T. Combs *

John Sherman Cooper John Sherman Cooper (August 23, 1901 – February 21, 1991) was an American politician, jurist, and diplomat from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He served three non-consecutive, partial terms in the United States Senate before being elect ...

* Country Doctors and Nurses * Harry Caudill
Horse Industry in Kentucky
* Family and Gender in the Coal Community * Family Farm Project *

Wendell H. Ford Wendell Hampton Ford (September 8, 1924 – January 22, 2015) was an American politician from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He served for twenty-four years in the U.S. Senate and was the 53rd Governor of Kentucky. He was the first person to be ...

From Combat to Kentucky: Student Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
* Frontier Nursing Service * History of Broadcasting in Kentucky * History of Education in Kentucky * History of Medicine in Fayette County, Kentucky * Walter D. Huddleston * Immigrants in Coal Communities * Interscholastic Athletics in Kentucky * Col. Arthur L. Kelly American Veterans Project * Kentucky Coal Operators * Kentucky Conservationists * Kentucky Family Farm * Kentucky Folk Art
Kentucky Legislature
* Kentucky Writers * Thruston B. Morton *

John Jacob Niles John Jacob Niles (April 28, 1892 – March 1, 1980) was an American composer, singer and collector of traditional ballads. Called the "Dean of American Balladeers," Niles was an important influence on the American folk music revival of the 195 ...

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John ...

* John Ed Pearce * Politics in Lexington, Kentucky * Edward F. Prichard * Race Relations in Owensboro-Daviess County, Kentucky, 1930-1970 * Stanley F. Reed *

Roving Picket Movement The Roving Picket Movement was the culmination of years of unrest from mine workers about their working conditions in Appalachia, a region of the United States. The movement lasted from 1959 to 1965, with goals of reinstating health benefits and imp ...

in the Coal Fields *

Cora Wilson Stewart Cora Wilson Stewart (January 17, 1875 – December 2, 1958) was an American progressive era social reformer and educator who is well known for her work to eliminate adult illiteracy. In 1911, Stewart was the first woman to be elected to the positi ...

* Tobacco Production Technology and Policy
University of Kentucky Medical Center
* Urban Appalachian Women in Cincinnati, Ohio * Veterans of World War Two * Veterans of the Korean War * Veterans of the Vietnam War *

Fred M. Vinson Frederick "Fred" Moore Vinson (January 22, 1890 – September 8, 1953) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 13th chief justice of the United States from 1946 until his death in 1953. Vinson was one of the few Americans to ...

War on Poverty The war on poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a nationa ...

Robert Penn Warren Robert Penn Warren (April 24, 1905 – September 15, 1989) was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the lit ...

Robert Penn Warren Civil Rights Project
* Lawrence W. Wetherby * Charles T. Wethington Alumni/Faculty Project

References

External links

Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History
*
Kentucky Oral History
online public access catalog of collections
University of Kentucky Libraries

From Combat to Kentucky Oral History Project: Interviews with Student Veterans
at Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History
''Saving Stories''
blog at Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History
''Curiosities and Wonders''
blog at University of Kentucky Archives and the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History {{authority control Appalachian culture in Kentucky University of Kentucky 1973 establishments in Kentucky Oral history Archives in the United States