Dr. Terry L. Birdwhistell is Dean of Libraries and holds the William T. Young
Endowed Chair at the University of Kentucky. During his nearly four decades at UK he has
also served as Associate Dean for Special Collections and Digital Programs, University
Archivist, and Director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Dr. Birdwhistell
helped found and now serves as Co-Director of the UK Libraries’ Wendell H. Ford Public
Policy Research Center.
Dr. Birdwhistell serves as Co-General Editor of Kentucky Remembered: An Oral History
Series published by the University Press of Kentucky. His dissertation, “An Educated
Difference: Women at the University of Kentucky through the Second World War,” was
completed in 1994. Publications include: "Some Kind of Lawyer: Two Journeys from
Classroom to Courtroom and Beyond, Kentucky Law Journal (1996), "Divided We Fall:
State College and the Normal School Movement in Kentucky, 1880-1910," Register of
the Kentucky Historical Society (1990) and "WHAS Radio and the Development of
Broadcasting in Kentucky, 1922-1942." The Register of the Kentucky Historical
Society (1981). He has also been involved in the production of two documentaries
broadcast on Kentucky Educational Television: "Kentucky's New Dealer: Ed
Prichard Remembers" (1983) and "Long Road Back: Vietnam Remembered"
(1985).
Dr. Birdwhistell has served as president of several professional associations including
the national Oral History Association, the Kentucky-Tennessee Chapter of the American
Studies Association, and the Kentucky Council on Archives. He represents UK on the
Kentucky State Archives and Records Commission and serves on the Advisory Committee on
the Records of Congress. Dr. Birdwhistell was honored by the Kentucky Oral History
Commission as a pioneer in his field as part of their 30th Anniversary celebration and
was also named to the UK College of Education Alumni Hall of Fame.
At UK Dr. Birdwhistell serves on the Steering Committee for the Institute for Rural
Journalism and Community Issues, as a member of the University Senate, and on the UK
Historic Marker Committee. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of
Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation.
Dr. Birdwhistell earned his B.A. in American Studies from Georgetown College. He also
earned M.A. degrees in both history and library and information science and a doctorate
in Educational Policy Studies all from the University of Kentucky.
Articles
Books and Edited Publications
Contributions to Books and Reference Works
Occasional Papers
Book Reviews
Media Productions
