This article appeared in the Volume 4, Issue 1 Spring/Summer Winter 2023 issue of the Appalachian Curator. Click here to view a PDF of the full issue. New collections in regional repositories: Appalachian State University University of North Carolina Asheville Western Regional Archives, Asheville NC Appalachian State University In December 2020, Appalachian State University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center received the MerleFest Archives. The archives span the history of the festival, from 1988 to the present, and include recordings of performances, photographs, and ephemera. The collection was opened in time for the 35th anniversary of MerleFest in April. Below is a photo of the interactive viewing and listening station, which allows…
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What’s New in Appalachian Special Collections?
This article appeared in the Volume 3, Issue 3 Winter 2022 issue of the Appalachian Curator. Click here to view a PDF of the full issue. New collections in regional repositories: Appalachian State University East Tennessee State University University of North Carolina Asheville Appalachian State University African American family photographs: This collection consists of a photograph folder containing six 4×4 inch photographs of an unidentified African American family in Greenville, South Carolina, circa 1950s. Edward Bobal photograph album: This photograph album was kept by Edward Bobal and his wife, Madelyn, while he awaited reassignment in the Army, in Asheville, North Carolina, during World War II. The album shows their 10 day…
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Fred Hay retires from Appalachian State University
This article appeared in the Volume 3, Issue 2 Fall 2021 issue of the Appalachian Curator. Click here to view a PDF of the full issue. By Gene Hyde Fred J. Hay, Librarian of the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection at Appalachian State University, retired earlier this spring after 28 years at ASU. Raised in the Georgia mountains, Hay obtained his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Florida and Master’s in Library Science from Florida State. After working five years in the anthropology library at Harvard University, Hay returned to Appalachia in 1994 when he was hired by Appalachian State as Librarian of the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection,…
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Editor’s Column
This article appeared in the Volume 3, Issue 1 Spring/Summer 2021 issue of the Appalachian Curator. Click here to view a PDF of the full issue. Welcome to the new issue of Appalachian Curator – we’re now into Volume 3! Thanks to all of you who have contributed to and read the newsletter over our first six issues. We look forward to hearing ideas about articles or features so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have something that you think would fit in these virtual pages. Two feature stories highlight this issue. The first is an interview with Trevor McKenzie, the recently appointed Director of the Center for Appalachian…
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What’s New in Appalachian Special Collections?
This article appeared in the Volume 3, Issue 1 Spring/Summer 2021 issue of the Appalachian Curator. Click here to view a PDF of the full issue. New collections in regional repositories: Appalachian State University Berea College Eastern Kentucky University University of Tennessee Virginia Tech Western Carolina University W. L. Eury Collection, Appalachian State University MerleFest Archives (AC-1279): The W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection received the MerleFest Archives (AC-1279) in June. MerleFest is an annual music festival held on the grounds of Wilkes Community College. It began in 1988 in memory of Merle Watson, son of musician and songwriter Doc Watson. The collection includes audio and video recordings of performances, photographs, and…
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Interview with Trevor McKenzie, Director of the Center for Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University
This article appeared in the Volume 3, Issue 1 Spring/Summer 2021 issue of the Appalachian Curator. Click here to view a PDF of the full issue. Gene Hyde: Thanks for talking with me Trevor. I’d like to discuss your current position and your older position and how being the archivist influences your current job. But, first, could you tell me about your current position? Trevor McKenzie: I’m the Director for the Center for Appalachian Studies, which is focused on providing programming and research support for people interested in Appalachian Studies here at ASU. It’s been restructured from a previous position that also oversaw the academics, or the degree granting portion of…
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Chronicling COVID-19 at Appalachian Special Collections
This article appeared in the Volume 2, Issue 3 Winter 2021 issue of the Appalachian Curator. Click here to view a PDF of the full issue. In March 2021, as the pandemic entered its second year, Curator editors asked Appalachian archivists if they were collecting information about how their institutions were responding to COVID-19. Had repositories collected information? If so, why types of information? Several institutions responded, and their reports are below: Appalachian State University As Coordinator of Special Collections and the University Archivist, I made the decision not to pursue creating an online location for individuals to submit their COVID stories. The decision wasn’t made lightly but was made for…
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Working during COVID: Appalachian archives respond
This article appeared in the Volume 2, Issue 2 Fall 2020 issue of the Appalachian Curator. Click here to view a PDF of the full issue. Appalachian Curator editors asked regional archivists how they responded to working during the COVID pandemic. We received ten responses from a range of collections that reflect the different types of archives we have in Southern Appalachia – large research universities, smaller public and private liberal arts colleges, and a public library. Several general themes are consistent in these responses – repositories closed, staff developed new workflows and tackled new projects, and many places have reopened with limited hours, limited access, and different workflows. West…
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What’s New in Appalachian Special Collections?
This article appeared in the Volume 2, Issue 1 Spring/Summer 2020 issue of the Appalachian Curator. Click here to view a PDF of the full issue. Due to the COVID pandemic and the fact that many repositories are closed, we have fewer items in our New Acquisitions section this issue. New collections in regional repositories: Appalachian State University East Tennessee State University University of North Carolina Asheville Warren Wilson College W. L. Eury Collection, Appalachian State University Curtis Williams papers The papers of Curtis “Curt” Williams (1890 August 18 – 1959 December 5), a farmer, fur and herb trader, unschooled veterinarian, and distiller of whiskey from Lawrence County, Kentucky. The son of…
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Ginseng, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and Appalachian archives
By Trevor McKenzie, W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection, Appalachian State University This article appeared in the Volume 1, Issue 3 Winter 2020 issue of the Appalachian Curator. Click here to view a PDF of the full issue. It is exactly the wrong time of the year to dig ginseng, making it the perfect time to dig into the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection’s holdings concerning “The Divine Root.” This summer, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, held June 24-28 and July 1-5, celebrates the traditions and folklore surrounding American ginseng, one of Appalachia’s oldest natural exports. The event will bring together a wide array of people, ranging from ginseng gatherers still using time-tested traditions…
