Category Archives: Kate Matheny

The International Legacy of Harper Lee

In the days since Alabama writer Harper Lee’s death was reported, the news in the U.S. has been filled with reflections and tributes. Not too surprisingly, obituaries were also common in the U.K., Australia, and other English-speaking countries. But there’s a good … Continue reading

Fair Use in the Archive: Copyright or Right of Privacy?

When special collections libraries hold rare books and other published materials, they face the same challenges as other libraries when it comes to copyright and the allowances of Fair Use. But what about their archival collections — unpublished items like … Continue reading

Chronicling UA’s First Steps Toward Desegregation

Sixty years ago, the first major step was made toward desegregating the University of Alabama. Autherine Lucy, a black woman from Shiloh, Alabama, was enrolled – and a few days later suspended, eventually expelled, though she had done nothing wrong. … Continue reading

Radical South Zine Archive

zine n.  magazine; especially: a noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject matter If you’ve never heard of zines, this is a good definition to start with, but it doesn’t really capture the wild … Continue reading

New Finding Aids, Spring 2016, part one

As a welcome back to campus, we’re sharing some of the collection finding aids that have recently gone online in Acumen — over 100 last month! This week, the highlights focus on the community: businesses, churches and other organizations, and community life. (Click … Continue reading

Holiday Cooking

While many of the books at Hoole Library are old and/or rare, some are simply part of a special collection of materials which may include very recent publications. I like to think of them as rare books in training. One … Continue reading

Remembering Dr. Wade Hall (1934-2015)

It’s been difficult putting together this post commemorating Wade Hall’s life and meditating on his legacy. It’s not because there’s nothing to say; in fact, it’s just the opposite. “When I began working at the Hoole Library in 2001,” wrote Archivist … Continue reading

American WWI Veterans

This Veterans Day, we look at a largely forgotten American war: World War I. It’s easy to overlook because our official participation was short and our losses paled in comparison to that of France, Germany, and Britain. However, thousands of Americans … Continue reading

Recent Acquisitions, Fall 2015

Here are some of our recent acquisitions, all with finding aids online. Arthur Duncan papers (MSS.4153) A copy of the first issue of The Open Post (v. 1, no. 1), the news organ of the 57th College Training Detachment of … Continue reading

A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock ‘n’ Roll

When you collect Americana, you can’t help but end up with music — and books on music. In the case of Wade Hall, who focused his collecting on the South, that means a lot of country and western, jazz, blues, and rock ‘n’ … Continue reading