October 28, 2006
Purdue to construct archives library to consolidate, protect its history
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The gift from Purdue alumna Virginia Kelly Karnes to Purdue Libraries was announced on Saturday (Oct. 28) at the President's Council pre-game event in the Purdue Memorial Union Ballrooms.
"The Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections will serve as the institutional memory of Purdue, preserving the legacy of the individuals who contributed to this great university's rich past," said Purdue President Martin C. Jischke. "Virginia's generosity places her in that pantheon."
Purdue Library's Archives and Special Collections includes noteworthy holdings such as the personal effects of aviator Amelia Earhart and the papers of humorist George Ade, cartoonist John T. McCutcheon and Nobel Prize-winning chemist Herbert C. Brown. These items and tens of thousands of other books, manuscripts, photographs and artifacts are currently distributed throughout seven buildings on campus. Their current storage makes them difficult to access and preserve.
The new facility will bring items together into one centralized, state-of-the-art facility that includes an entry hall/exhibit space, a researcher reading room with permanent displays and an instruction center where students can view rare materials including books by scientists such as Isaac Newton and Nicholas Copernicus. The $2.7 million, 15,000-square-foot facility on the fourth floor of Stewart Center also will include a service center for receiving new materials and offices for staff and faculty members.
"Purdue University Libraries will soon have the proper space to house and preserve the distinguished special collections and archives owned by the university," said James L. Mullins, dean of libraries. "The Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections will showcase this wealth of rare books and manuscripts, making them more visible and accessible to researchers and the public at large."
Purdue Libraries announced that it had received a $1 million gift Oct. 21 from Purdue alumna and Board of Trustees member Susan Bulkeley Butler to establish an archives documenting the lives and accomplishments of the university's women. That expanding collection will be housed in the new facility.
Sammie Morris, acting head of Archives and Special Collections, said fragile archival materials will be housed in a secure environment with appropriate temperature and humidity controls. Shelving and storage units also will be designed to promote preservation.
"The new center will be a beautiful space that will house the rarest of Purdue's treasures," Morris said. "The archives and special collections area will be a capstone of the libraries, as well as Purdue, creating a valuable resource where visitors from around the world can come to learn about the rare collections in the Purdue Libraries as well as Purdue University's unique contributions to society throughout the past 137 years."
Morris expects that the new center will impact Purdue Libraries, the university and the broader community in several ways, by:
Karnes' gift continues her history of giving to the university. The San Diego resident has contributed to the Class of 1935 50th reunion class gift, the Library Scholars grant program, the President's Fund, the Purdue Alumni Association, Purdue athletics and the Center for Families. She also served as the first chairwoman of the President's Council at Purdue.
While at Purdue, Virginia Kelly belonged to the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and edited the Debris yearbook and participated in women's journalism and sports clubs. She graduated the same year that Purdue hired Amelia Earhart as a women's career counselor, part of the university's effort to recruit more women. Purdue Libraries has asked Karnes to donate personal memorabilia from her time at Purdue.
"Those years were an extraordinary time for women in history of the university," said Judy Schumaker, Purdue Libraries' advancement director. "Only those who lived them can fully appreciate the astonishing era."
Karnes is the widow of William G. Karnes, president of the former Beatrice Foods Co. After graduating from law school, William Karnes quickly rose through the company's ranks. During his 25 years as president, Beatrice profits grew an average of 15 percent annually as the company grew though acquisitions into a multinational corporation worth several billion dollars. The American National Business Hall of Fame, to which William Karnes belongs, quotes him as saying he could not have achieved what he did without the unflagging support of his wife and best friend, Virginia.
Writer: Jim Schenke, (765) 494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu
Sources: Martin C. Jischke, (765) 494-9708, mcjischke@purdue.edu
James L. Mullins, (765) 494-2900, jmullins@purdue.edu
Sammie Morris, (765) 494-2905, morris18@purdue.edu
Judy Schumaker, (765) 494-7987, jschumkr@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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