This article appeared in the Volume 4, Issue 3 Winter 2024 issue of the Appalachian Curator. Click here to view a PDF of the full issue. By Stewart Plein, Curator, Rare Books, Printed Resources, Appalachian Collection, West Virginia University In my role as curator of rare books and the Appalachian book collection at WVU, I’m always on the lookout for books that add research value to our collections. One of my favorite go to resources is often referred to as Appalachian Local Color Literature, popular during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. I consider this time period to be of exceptional importance to Appalachian Studies as a documentation of a…
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Digitizing West Virginia’s Historic Newspapers 2011-2022
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. By Stewart Plein The history of West Virginia’s newspapers provides a valuable narrative of the state, from its war-torn separation from Virginia to its development as a state rich in natural resources and diverse populations. Newspapers reported the rapid growth of industry from coal mining to oil, lumber and glass. The variety of industry brought an influx of immigrant and African American populations who came to work in these burgeoning fields of commerce. Over five consecutive grant cycles, The West Virginia and Regional History Center…
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ASA Special Collections Committee Response to Kentucky Flooding
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. By Stewart Plein, Chair, ASA Special Collections Committee Following the devastating flooding in Kentucky, the ASA Special Collections Committee extended assistance on a number of fronts, individually and institutionally, specifically concerning Appalshop in Whitesburg and Hindman Settlement School in Hindman. Two committee members have been engaged in weekly response phone calls coordinated by the Kentucky Arts Council with others from across Appalachia. Discussions on funding sources, volunteers, best practices and other recovery topics were an important part of this weekly discussion. Members of the committee,…
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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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Scholarly Responses to the Pandemic: Lloyd Tomlinson, West Virginia University
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. Researching in a Pandemic Lloyd Tomlinson I defended the prospectus for my dissertation in February, and immediately started filling out funding applications and planning for a summer of research. A couple of weeks after that is when I first remember hearing about the coronavirus. By March, West Virginia University had made the decision to shift all classes online and to not have students return for the second half of the semester. Accompanying that decision was a moratorium on all travel related to university travel. By…
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Curating Appalachian Futures: an interdisciplinary, collaborative project
By Sally Brown Deskins, Exhibits Coordinator, West Virginia University Libraries 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. Curating Appalachian Futures, an interdisciplinary project spearheaded by myself, Exhibits Coordinator for West Virginia University Libraries, was a complex, collaborative project including contributions and partners region wide. This article will take a look at the process of creating the broad, tremendous exhibit with 50 artistic, scholarly and community contributors and the mini-conference that stemmed from it, further contextualizing and giving impact to the idea beyond the walls. Appalachian Futures is the main exhibit developed by…
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The Appalachian Bibliography at West Virginia University: A History
The Appalachian Bibliography at West Virginia University: A History By Stewart Plein This article appeared in the Volume 1, Issue 1 Spring/Summer 2019 issue of the Appalachian Curator. Click here to view a PDF of the full issue. “The current revival of interest in the Southern Appalachians differs from previous ones in at least two important respects. It is centered largely in the universities, and those conducting the studies are trained in research. Equally important, there is a general recognition that both sustained and well-coordinated efforts are required.”[i] The history of the Appalachian Bibliography is both expansive and profound, and it rests on the shoulders of librarians who worked decade…
