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 Studies at Appalachian State. Trevor discusses his background as an archivist in the W. L. Eury Collection at ASU and how that prepared him for his new position. Our second article features Christopher Miller discussing the Appalachian Studies Artifacts Teaching Collection at Berea College, a fascinating collection with a unique pedagogical focus.
We’re pleased to publish the Kentucky installment of the revised and updated 2020-21 Archives in Appalachia Survey in this issue. This marks the second installment of this ongoing update of the 1985 survey. An overview of this project was published in the Spring/Summer 2020 issue of the Curator alongside the Georgia installment of the project. North Carolina is the next state scheduled for an update in this project, so look for that in an upcoming issue.
I’ll wrap this up with a farewell and an introduction. We bid farewell to Derek Whisnant, who was instrumental in doing the research for the Georgia and Kentucky installments of the Archives in Appalachia Survey. Derek graduated from UNC Asheville last May and plans on going to graduate school and pursuing a career as an archivist. We’re also delighted to introduce Ashley Whittle who has joined the editorial board of Appalachian Curator. Ashley works in Special Collections at UNC Asheville and brings a love of archival work and a strong background in Appalachian Studies to the editorial board. Welcome, Ashley!
Thanks for reading and sharing your archival stories. Our next issue is due in the spring, with a deadline of March 1.
Gene Hyde
