September 26, 2008
Purdue Libraries Archives and Special Collections to close temporarily for move
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue Libraries Archives and Special Collections will be closed Oct. 13 through Jan. 9, as staff move collections from the second floor of Stewart Center to the new Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center on the fourth floor.The move, from Room 279 to a new home built with the help of a $1 million gift from Purdue alumna Karnes, will allow easier access to thousands of items that document the university's history, said Sammie Morris, head of Archives and Special Collections. The $2.7 million, 15,000-square-foot center will include an entry hall/exhibit space, a researcher reading room and an instruction center where students can view rare materials.
The Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center is scheduled to open for public use Jan. 12. Morris said all staff will be involved in the move, and no collections, reference assistance or course instruction will be available during the temporary closure. A grand opening celebration is planned for Gala Week 2009. During the transition, Morris encourages patrons to take advantage of more than 85,000 digitized archival items available online through Purdue e-Archives at https://earchives.lib.purdue.edu .
Archives and Special Collections houses Purdue publications such as The Debris, Inside Purdue, Perspective and the Purdue Alumnus, as well as significant archival records, documents, photographs and reports of campus events and historic figures. Significant collections include the George Palmer Putnam Collection of Amelia Earhart Papers, the Susan Bulkeley Butler Women's Archives, and papers from John Purdue and George Ade.
Writer: Jim Bush, (765) 494-2077, jsbush@purdue.edu
Source: Sammie Morris, (965) 494-6414, morris18@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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