Special Collections Committee
Since the disbanding of the Appalachian Consortium’s Regional Collections Committee in 2002, a coordinated organization of Appalachian archives and special collections came to a close. Over the last few years, a group of Appalachian archivists, special collections librarians, and research librarians proposed the creation of an Appalachian Special Collections Committee. Thanks to Gene Hyde, director of special collections at UNC Asheville, who coordinated the revival of the committee, we have been actively engaged in promoting special collections through multiple outlets.
The Special Collections Committee publishes a newsletter, the Appalachian Curator, which works to update the Consortium’s 1985 survey of Appalachian Collections, promotes and raises awareness of Appalachian resources throughout ASA, and generally establishes a stronger presence for repositories, collections, archivists and librarians, and their work in Appalachian Studies and ASA. In addition, the committee is currently engaged in assistance to the flood ravaged repositories in Kentucky to preserve damaged materials.
The Appalachian Studies Association Special Collections Committee documents the broad knowledge of this region; including the archives and oral histories that recall the voices, stories, and communities recounting the lives of the people who live here.
Membership Information
The Special Collections Committee is composed of a chairperson and other members, currently at 10. Interested individuals may request membership by contacting the chair. Service appointments are for a three-year rotating term. The editor of the Appalachian Curator who shall be an ex-officio member of this committee.
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Membership
Members of the Appalachian Curator editorial board will be appointed by the current editor of the Appalachian Curator who is appointed by the ASA president and will be approved by the remaining members of the editorial board.
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Duties
Publication of the Appalachian Curator digital newsletter. The committee will also work in collaboration with the Communications Committee to maintain information regarding archives and resources on the ASA website. The work of the committee also includes updating and continuing the work of the Special Collections committees that existed previously under the Appalachian Consortium. Committee work includes identifying and providing information about Appalachian repositories, facilitating the exchange of information between repositories, assessing the needs of larger and smaller repositories, and providing information and services to repositories. Tasks also include offering sessions at ASA meetings and encouraging and recognizing new scholarly work in the area that uses primary source materials.
Find additional information about the Special Collections Committee here!
Current Members of the Special Collections Committee:
Stewart Plein
Curator, Rare Books & Printed Resources West Virginia University
Gene Hyde
Head of Special Collections
University Archivist & Records Officer
UNC Asheville
Jeremy Smith
Director, Archives of Appalachia
East Tennessee State University
Liz Harper
Special and Digital Collections Librarian Western Carolina University
Jinny Turman
Associate Professor of History UVA Wise
Tim Binkley
Head of Special Collections and Archives Berea College
Julie Fox-Horton
Assistant Professor
MPS Program Coordinator
Archival Studies Certificate Coordinator
East Tennessee State University
Marc Brodsky
Special Collections and University Archives Virginia Tech
Scott Sikes
Assistant Professor, Civic Innovation Emory & Henry College
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Travis Roundtree
Assistant Professor, English
Western Carolina University
Jed DeBruin
Fourth-year PhD candidate
Graduate instructor, Department of Geography
University of Kentucky