Archives & Special Collections

09/30/2026

It always makes our day when we get to join HUM 105 with Professor Fraley! This year, students wrestled with the term "text" by reviewing over 20 unique items from our rare book collections. Join our Special Collections Librarian Chad Kamen as he describes a few of the pop-up books that were brought out for the session. And, if you are interested, come visit us in person to read one yourself (families welcome and encouraged!).

09/29/2026

This episode of Remnants with Tom Owen looks at some Kentucky connections to Marquis de Lafayette—from Fayette County, to a Louisville visit, to the naming of LaGrange. Lafayette is featured in Pursuit of Happiness, one of our America250 exhibits at the Frazier!

Thanks to Tom Owen, the University of Louisville Archives, and our friends at the Filson Historical Society.

Episode 3, Thanks to the University of Louisville Archives

09/29/2026

What can we learn from Lois Morris?

A strident leader in the fight for civil rights, Morris pursued justice for Black Americans through local and national service. Throughout her three elected terms as a city alderman and historic run to be the first Black woman mayor of Louisville, Morris directed her energy toward the building of a democracy where everyone has a seat at the table. This focus also guided her efforts to found the national Black Women for Political Action in 1982 and the local chapter of the National Council of Negro Women.

Morris’s papers at the University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections extensively document her political career, as well as the many ways she poured into the joy and thriving of those around her (look no further than the notes and photos from her annual Derby Party). For, Morris knew well the impact of doing things in style, having been named one of Ebony Magazine’s 21 Best Dressed Women of 1963.

Yet, for someone whose presence was so singular, Morris has taught us the value and necessity of joining together to build a better future. We hope these images and materials from her collection inspire you to come research with her materials and find ways to connect them to the collective work ahead of us.

Photos have been cropped for size. All materials come from the Lois Morris papers, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections.

Image credits:
1. Alderwoman Lois Morris in her office, ca. 1969-1975
2. Lois Morris with membership of the National Council of Negro Women, undated
3. Lois Morris, undated
4. Lois and Dr. Ralph Morris’s annual Derby Party, undated
5. Lois Morris mayoral ad, 1977
6. Lois Morris and others, undated
7. League of Cities meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1973
8. Lois Morris, undated

09/23/2026

Love it or hate it, this dorm building has become a landmark on UofL’s campus. Take a look at these photos of Unitas Tower over the years!

Since 1971, Unitas Tower residence hall has served as a site of community for around 300 freshmen. Its namesake originates from former UofL quarterback Johnny Unitas.

Image details:

1. Freshman Mike Doyle, left, and sophomore Bobby Arvin signed a roommate contract, but they don't put much stock in it. The two share a room in the University of Louisville's Unitas Hall, photograph by Durell Hall Jr., October 4, 1987, item number CJ_1987_10_04_DHJ in The Barry Bingham, Jr. Courier-Journal Photograph Collection.
2. Polaroid of Unitas Tower, in the Unitas Tower reference file, University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections Research Room.
3. Photograph of Unitas Tower, 1974, in the Unitas Tower reference file, University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections Research Room.
4. Photograph of Unitas Tower, in the Unitas Tower reference file, University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections Research Room.
5. Photograph of Unitas Tower, March 1977, in the Unitas Tower reference file, University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections Research Room.
6. Photograph of Unitas Tower, April 1973, in the Unitas Tower reference file, University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections Research Room.
7. University of Louisville Unitas Tower Dedication Ceremonies Program, distributed April 14, 1975, in the Unitas Tower reference file, University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections Research Room .
8. Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas is seen during an exhibition game at fairgrounds stadium in Louisville during an exhibition game against the Chicago Cardinals. Unitas played for the University of Louisville prior to the NFL, photograph by Gene A. Baron, Dec 11, 1957, item number CJ_1957_09_15_GAB_009 in The Barry Bingham, Jr. Courier-Journal Photograph Collection.

09/21/2026

Every fall, Archives & Special Collections partners with the Honors Program to familiarize incoming students with primary sources. This year, we focused our session on records entrusted to us by current and former students. The materials in this post are just some of the pieces of everyday life preserved by graduates of Louisville Municipal College (LMC). Louisville Municipal College (1931-1951) was a liberal arts college affiliated with the University of Louisville that was created to serve Black students during segregation.

The late Dr. Linda L. Wilson, a graduate of and longtime colleague at the University of Louisville, worked tirelessly to connect with LMC alumni and find a safe home for their stories. The collection in her name at UofL Archives & Special Collections includes memories and materials from a wide range of LMC campus activities. This includes dance cards, invitations, and photos from two Black and White Ball events hosted by Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. in the spring of 1949 and 1950. Linda received these materials from Dr. David L. White, a LMC class of 1951 alumnus and former Vice President of the Student Council.

Thanks to Dr. Wilson and Dr. White, students today have resources to explore and commemorate the history of the Divine Nine, Louisville Municipal College, and those who came before them.

Image credits (all from the Linda L. Wilson Louisville Municipal College collection, UofL Archives & Special Collections):

1. The crowning of Miss Kappa at the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Black and White Ball including Dr. David L. White (back row, far left) and Raymond Parks (back row, far right), 1950

2. Dance card from and invitation to the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Black and White Ball, 1949

3. Alpha Omicron chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., 1950

09/16/2026

What does it take to change an institution?

The fourteen undergraduate students of HIST 310 set out last fall to explore this question by researching with our recently processed collection of records from the Office of Minority Affairs (OMA). In the materials left behind by OMA-affiliated staff, faculty, students, and countless others, the students traced a unifying commitment to the belonging, resilience, and success of Black UofL community members. The campus we know today was born through the tireless efforts to make their promise real: of a welcoming, barrier-free environment for all who call this university home.

Come learn and explore the students' work in their new exhibit "A Change is Gonna Come: Institutional Memories of a Campus in Transition." The show opens on Thursday, September 17 from 4-6 PM in the annex of the Kain Gallery of Ekstrom Library.

Materials in this post have been cropped for social media. Full-length reproductions will be on display in the exhibit.

Image credits (all from Multicultural Academic Enrichment Programs photographs and other memorabilia collection unless specified):

1. Office of Black Affairs staff and students, ca. 1975. Standing (from left to right): Mitchell H. Payne, Alma Brandon, Melvin L. Turner, Sr., Patsy Russell, Phyllis Mitchell (now Phyllis M. Webb), Sharon Morris (now Sharon Morris Trotter), and Sherman Lamont Bush. Seated: Duanne Hawkins (now Duanne Cooper), Ivy Neyland, and Susan Herbert (now Susan Herbert Peacock).

2. Unidentified UofL student, date unknown.

3. Poem by Veatrice Ferguson, March 1975, Habari Gani.

4. Photograph by Michael Coers of student demonstrator being taken out of the Dean's Building, May 1, 1969, Barry Bingham, Jr. Courier-Journal Photograph Collection.

5. Office of Minority Affairs students, ca. 1979.

6. Image of Habari Gani/Minority Voices staff including Duanne Hawkins (right), ca. early 1970s.

7. Excerpt from H. R. Popo's article "Campus Life: It is what you make it," February 22, 1974, Habari Gani.

8. Barbara Holmes (left) and Michael Allen (right), ca. early 1970s.

9. Students in the lobby of a dorm, date unknown.

09/10/2026

Labor Day weekend starts today! UofL's history was built by hardworking faculty, staff and students. Take a look at these dedicated Cardinals from UofL's Archives. 👀📚

Photos are credited in order from the University of Louisville Libraries Archives & Special Collections. 1.) School of Dentistry office, 1960s, Kornhauser Health Sciences Library History Collections. 2.) Office of Black Affairs Counseling Team, Multicultural Academic Enrichment Programs photographs. 3.) University Library card catalog, 1960s, University of Louisville Images. 4.) Moving the University of Louisville library to Ekstrom Library, 1981, University of Louisville Images.

09/10/2026

Love is in the air! 💗 With wedding season upon us, we thought we'd share some sweet memories from couples across the Louisville area.

These shots are all a part of the Louisville Defender photographs, a collection which includes approximately 16,000 images from the historic Black newspaper. Unfortunately, some of these images do not have identifying captions [see credits below]. So, we hope you will comment if you see someone you recognize!

Image credits:

1. Photograph by Marshall Honin [item 15985], Louisville Defender photographs, UofL Archives & Special Collections

2. Miss Maureen Palmer and Robert Gene Mathis [item 16002], Louisville Defender photographs, UofL Archives & Special Collections

3. Photograph of the Lothery-Stewart wedding by Willie Dix [item 15974], Louisville Defender photographs, UofL Archives & Special Collections

4. Mr. Robert Smith and Mrs. Constance Smith (née Crane) [item 15989], Louisville Defender photographs, UofL Archives & Special Collections

5. [Item 15989], Louisville Defender photographs, UofL Archives & Special Collections

6. [Item 16004], Louisville Defender photographs, UofL Archives & Special Collections

7. Mr. and Mrs. William Denny [item 15956], Louisville Defender photographs, UofL Archives & Special Collections

8. Photograph of Mr. and Mrs. Cline by Edward (Eddie) Davis III [Item 15969], Louisville Defender photographs, UofL Archives & Special Collections

9. Wedding of Murylyn Kinslow [item 16100], Louisville Defender photographs, UofL Archives & Special Collections

10. [Item 16000], Louisville Defender photographs, UofL Archives & Special Collections

09/02/2026

Wendell Berry helped us to listen. Across his contemplative writings, Berry recognized the need for stillness, for breath, and for learning slowly from the lands that shape us. It is thus no wonder that we can see across his art and his activism how the environment of his home state served as an inspiration. The soil, the waterways, the air, and all living beings across Kentucky were sacred to Berry. His everyday reverence not only sharpened his work but reminded many to reconnect with the world around them.

In recognition of Wendell Berry's passing, we share just a few of the ways his presence and words show up in our collections. The two images in this post come from our Fine Print collection, while the broadside of Berry's "The Wild Geese" comes to us a recent gift of the Rev. Elwood Sturtevant.

Citations:

Mendes, G. (Photographer). (2003). Wendell Berry on the Kentucky River, 2003 [silver gelatin]. 2004.005.01, Fine Print collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY.

Berry, W. (2012). The Wild Geese [broadside]. Archives & Special Collections, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY.

Mendes, G. (Photographer). (1970). Wendell Berry, Henry County, 1970 [silver gelatin]. 2003.013.02, Fine Print collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY.

08/31/2026

On September 17 from 4:00-6:00 p.m., the University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections opens A Change is Gonna Come: Institutional Memories of a Campus in Transition. Developed in partnership with Dr. Felicia Jamison and fourteen History 310 students, the exhibit explores the efforts undertaken by UofL to recognize and respond to the needs of Black staff, faculty, students, and community members between 1967 and 1977. The exhibit coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the university's Office of Minority Affairs, whose papers are now available to the public for research. The students' curatorial work reveals how preserving and engaging with the breadth of the university’s history can support the envisioning of the campus of tomorrow.