Revealing 200 Years of the American Mosaic through the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters

FAIN: PW-259108-18

University of Kentucky Research Foundation (Lexington, KY 40506-0004)
Deirdre A. Scaggs (Project Director: July 2017 to October 2022)

Arrangement and description of 355 cubic feet of letters, diaries, and other personal papers from the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters, which chronicle various aspects of the American experience from 1750 to 1960.  Fifty cubic feet of material would be digitized, resulting in over 2,000 finding aids and 80,000 digitized documents. 

The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters, held at the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center (SCRC), includes thousands of individual collections, comprising 372 cubic feet of letters, diaries, and other personal papers. This diverse material documents the American experience through letters and diaries written by men women of different ages, races, education, and socio-economic status, from all over North America from 1750-1970s. “P.S. Write Again Soon”: Revealing 200 Years of the American Mosaic through the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters requests National Endowment of the Humanities funding to hire a Project Archivist to provide online access to this significant collection. The project expects to generate over 2000 keyword searchable finding aids and the digitization of 50 cubic feet from the collection.

Associated Products

ExploreUK (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: ExploreUK
Author: University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center
Abstract: Search results showing the Wade Hall Collection finding aids available (some with digitized content) on ExploreUK, the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center’s digital library.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/?q=2009ms132&f%5Bformat%5D%5B%5D=collections&per_page=20
Primary URL Description: ExploreUK, SCRC digital library
Access Model: open access

“Newly Digitized Wade Hall Collections” (Blog Post)
Title: “Newly Digitized Wade Hall Collections”
Author: Sarah Coblentz
Abstract: A brief post announcing the digitization of Wade Hall collections.
Date: 2/2/2020
Primary URL: http://ukyarchives.blogspot.com/2020/05/new-digitized-wade-hall-collections.html
Primary URL Description: Curiosities & Wonders is a website that hosts “news and interesting items from the Special Collections Research Center at UK Libraries”

“Newly Digitized Wade Hall Collections” (Blog Post)
Title: “Newly Digitized Wade Hall Collections”
Author: Sarah Coblentz
Abstract: A brief post announcing the digitization of Wade Hall collections. (three separate posts)
Date: 10/10/2020
Primary URL: http://ukyarchives.blogspot.com/2019/11/newly-digitized-wade-hall-collections.html

Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Collection Guides (Web Resource)
Title: Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Collection Guides
Author: Sarah Coblentz
Abstract: Libguide created to give extra context surrounding the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters and provide some subject curation to the collections.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: https://libguides.uky.edu/c.php?g=1050427&p=7625036
Primary URL Description: Special Collections Research Center Guides is a collection of subject access guides to the SCRC’s collections.

"New Wade Hall Collections Digitized!” (Blog Post)
Title: "New Wade Hall Collections Digitized!”
Author: Coblentz, Sarah
Abstract: A brief post announcing the digitization of Wade Hall collections.
Date: 5/6/2019
Primary URL: http://ukyarchives.blogspot.com/2019/07/new-wade-hall-collections-digitized.html
Primary URL Description: Curiosities & Wonders is a website that hosts “news and interesting items from the Special Collections Research Center at UK Libraries”
Website: Curiosities & Wonders

“Newly Digitized Wade Hall Collections on ExploreUK!” (Blog Post)
Title: “Newly Digitized Wade Hall Collections on ExploreUK!”
Author: Coblentz, Sarah
Abstract: A brief post announcing the publication of digitized collections from the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters project along with a few highlighted collections.
Date: 2/4/2019
Primary URL: https://ukyarchives.blogspot.com/2019/02/newly-digitized-wade-hall-collections.html
Primary URL Description: Curiosities & Wonders is a website that hosts “news and interesting items from the Special Collections Research Center at UK Libraries”
Website: Curiosities & Wonders

“A little something just in time for Valentine’s Day.” (Blog Post)
Title: “A little something just in time for Valentine’s Day.”
Author: Coblentz, Sarah
Abstract: A blog post describing a heart-themed watermark found on stationary in various Wade Hall American Letter collections.
Date: 2/14/2019
Primary URL: https://banjosbourbonbarrelsandbluegrass.tumblr.com/post/182804749918/a-little-something-just-in-time-for-valentines
Primary URL Description: Banjos, Bourbon Barrels, & Bluegrass, a SCRC Tumbler
Website: Banjos, Bourbon Barrels, & Bluegrass

“New Wade Hall Collection Guides on ExploreUK!” (Blog Post)
Title: “New Wade Hall Collection Guides on ExploreUK!”
Author: Coblentz, Sarah
Abstract: A brief post announcing the publication of a number of collection guides along with a few highlighted collections.
Date: 2/1/2019
Primary URL: https://ukyarchives.blogspot.com/2019/01/new-wade-hall-collection-guides-on.html
Primary URL Description: Curiosities & Wonders is a website that hosts “news and interesting items from the Special Collections Research Center at UK Libraries”
Website: Curiosities & Wonders

“Happy Mother’s Day from the Wade Hall Collection!” (Blog Post)
Title: “Happy Mother’s Day from the Wade Hall Collection!”
Author: Coblentz, Sarah
Abstract: A small post highlighting collections in the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters that display the varied lives of mothers, posted for Mother’s Day.
Date: 5/12/2019
Primary URL: https://ukyarchives.blogspot.com/2019/05/happy-mothers-day-from-wade-hall.html
Primary URL Description: Curiosities & Wonders is a website that hosts “news and interesting items from the Special Collections Research Center at UK Libraries”
Website: Curiosities & Wonders

“Newly Published Wade Hall collection guides on teachers!” (Blog Post)
Title: “Newly Published Wade Hall collection guides on teachers!”
Author: Coblentz, Sarah
Abstract: A post highlighting collections from the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters project that showcase the personal and professional lives of teachers, posted for National Teacher Appreciation Week.
Date: 5/6/2019
Primary URL: https://ukyarchives.blogspot.com/2019/05/newly-published-wade-hall-collection.html
Primary URL Description: Curiosities & Wonders is a website that hosts “news and interesting items from the Special Collections Research Center at UK Libraries”
Website: Curiosities & Wonders

“Newly Digitized Wade Hall Collections on ExploreUK!” (Blog Post)
Title: “Newly Digitized Wade Hall Collections on ExploreUK!”
Author: Coblentz, Sarah
Abstract: A brief post announcing the publication of digitized collections from the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters project along with a few highlighted collections.
Date: 2/4/2019
Primary URL: https://ukyarchives.blogspot.com/2019/02/newly-digitized-wade-hall-collections.html
Primary URL Description: Curiosities & Wonders is a website that hosts “news and interesting items from the Special Collections Research Center at UK Libraries”
Website: Curiosities & Wonders

Kentucky Archivist – KCA Membership News (Article)
Title: Kentucky Archivist – KCA Membership News
Author: Coblentz, Sarah
Author: Mummey, Megan
Abstract: Brief paragraph announcing processing and collection publication/digitization milestones within the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters project, found on page eight.
Year: 2010
Primary URL: http://www.kyarchivists.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019_1_Winter_Volume41_Issue1.pdf
Primary URL Description: Bi-annual newsletter of the Kentucky Council on Archives
Access Model: open access
Format: Other
Publisher: Kentucky Council on Archives

Kentucky Archivist – KCA Membership News (Article)
Title: Kentucky Archivist – KCA Membership News
Author: Mummey, Megan
Author: Dorpinghaus, Sarah
Abstract: Brief paragraph announcing the news of UK Libraries SCRC receiving the NEH grant to process the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters project, found on page five.
Year: 2018
Primary URL: http://www.kyarchivists.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018_2_Spr_Vol40_Iss2.pdf
Primary URL Description: Bi-annual newsletter of the Kentucky Council on Archives
Access Model: open access
Format: Other
Publisher: Kentucky Council on Archives

UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center Awarded NEH Grant for 'P.S. Write Again Soon' (Article)
Title: UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center Awarded NEH Grant for 'P.S. Write Again Soon'
Author: Dorpinghaus, Sarah
Author: Hale, Whitney
Author: Scaggs, Deirdre
Abstract: Press release announcing the news of UK Libraries SCRC receiving the NEH grant to process the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters project.
Year: 2018
Primary URL: https://uknow.uky.edu/campus-news/uk-libraries-special-collections-research-center-awarded-neh-grant-ps-write-again-soon
Primary URL Description: Press release on UKNow news site
Access Model: open access
Format: Other
Publisher: University of Kentucky

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