Kentucky Association of Teachers of History

Megan Mummey, UK Libraries, 2013-14 KATH Board member

We turn the spotlight now on Megan Mummey, our newly elected Librarian/Archivist Representative on the 2013-14 KATH Board. Ms. Mummey is a Collection Management Archivist in Special Collections at the University of Kentucky Libraries. Here are her responses to our interview questions:

What is your current school and alma mater/s?

Collections Management Archivist at the University of Kentucky; University of Texas at Austin MSIS (2009) and BA in History (2007).

What are your fields of interest?

Archival science and early state history for Kentucky and Texas.

When did you first develop an interest in history?

My interest first developed during my AP U.S. history course in high school. I loved reading our textbook, which was a springboard to other books and from there to my undergraduate degree.

How have your interests changed since graduate school?

My interests have changed significantly. While in school, I studied and wrote on Russian intellectual history, but my interests have changed through my professional archival work in Texas and Kentucky. As an archivist I work with a broad range of primary resources. Currently, I work with records and documents concerning Appalachia, early Kentucky history, military history, and Kentucky public policy. Through processing and providing reference I have gained a very deep and specific knowledge of our holdings.

What projects are you working on currently?

I currently supervise students and staff working on processing a range of material, including civil war letters, the papers of Kentucky education advocate Bob Sexton, early Kentucky broadsides, and the Andrew J. May papers. I just finished working on the W. Jefferson Harris Collection about the saddlebred horse industry in the early twentieth century. I’m also working with a group of librarians and several students on an interactive digital and physical exhibit called “Immigrants in Appalachia”, which will go up in March.

Is there an article, book, movie, blog, etc., that you could recommend to fellow KATH members?

I contribute to the University of Kentucky Special Collections blog Curiosities and Wonders. We post highlights from our collections; announcements about acquisitions and fully processed collections; and different events and exhibits Special Collections puts on.

Other than history, what are you passionate about?

Running after my 18 month old son, cooking, and reading everything I can get my hands on.