Monday, September 29, 2008

Rural Journalism and...

...National Newspaper Week....the two important points to mention today.

First, the National Newspaper Week is October 5-11 so, technically, it's next week ,but I thought it was timely to mention since I've had a recent interest in the University of Kentucky's Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues.

It was from the Institute's site that I learned about next week's honor. Just a snippet of their content on the subject: For most newspapers, National Newspaper Week has been a ho-hum activity, often if not usually ignored. Now, with the future of newspapers in doubt, the annual observance may never have been more relevant. The theme this year is somewhat narrow, but still important: the need for paid publication of legal notices in print, as opposed to free and online...We encourage newspapers to fly the flag for public notice, but also to remind readers of the societal value of a local newspaper, something the writers of the Bill of Rights had in mind when they wrote the First Amendment.

More on the Institute for Rural Journalism to come. Stay tuned!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

commonwealth defined

Kentucky is one of four American states designated as a commonwealth; Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Massachusetts being the other three. 

What does that mean exactly?

The English noun commonwealth dates from the fifteenth century. The original phrase "common wealth" or "the common weal" comes from the old meaning of "wealth" which is "well-being". The term literally meant "common well-being". ...cite

In the terminology of the United States insular areas, a Commonwealth is a type of organized but unincorporated dependent territory. ...cite

A form of government, named for the concept that everything that is not owned by specific individuals or groups is owned collectively by everyone in the governmental unit, as opposed to a state, where the state itself owns such things; Approximately, a republic ...cite

Monday, September 22, 2008

Paducah Sun

Paducah’s oldest continuously published daily newspaper, The Paducah Sun began in 1877. After more than 130 years, The Paducah Sun continues to print from its McCracken County home at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. The Paxton family is still at the helm, having owned the paper since the beginning. Today, The Paxton Media Group owns 32 daily and 7 weekly newspapers in 10 states plus one TV station (NBC affiliate, WPSD – connoting Paducah Sun-Democrat).

Sunday, September 21, 2008

titles

Kentucky newspapers available in Chronicling America and the Kentuckiana Digital Library:

Adair County News
American Baptist
Bee (Earlington)
Blue Grass Blade
Bourbon News
Breathitt County News
Breckenridge News
Central Record
Citizen (Berea)
Clay City Times
Frankfort Weekly News & Roundabout
Hartford Herald
Hartford Republican
Hazel Green Herald
Hickman Courier
Hopkinsville Kentuckian
Interior Journal
It
Kentucky Irish American
Kentucky Reporter
Kentucky Vindicator
Liberty (LaCenter)
Mount Vernon Signal
Mountain Advocate
Mt. Sterling Advocate
Ohio Valley Worker
Owingsville Outlook
Paducah Sun
Paducah Sun Weekly Edition
Paducah Weekly Sun
Paducah Evening Sun
The Sunday Chat
Record (Greenville)
Richmond Climax
Semi-Weekly Interior Journal
Winchester News

Newspapers exclusive to Kentuckiana Digital Library


Afro-American Mission-Herald
News-Leader
Omnibus
Springfield Sun

Titles Earmarked for NDNP Phases II and III digitization:

Big Sandy News
Courier-Journal
Crittenden Press
Daily Public Ledger
Evening Bulletin
Frankfort Roundabout
Herald Ledger
Logan County News
Middlesboro Record
Middlesborough News
Spout Spring Times
Weekly Roundabout

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Kentucky Council on Archives

There's a short piece in the fall newsletter for KCA about Kentucky's historic newspapers. On either end of the piece were articles about blogs and wikis being used by a variety of statewide archives in really thought-provoking ways. It's good to see this sort of movement afoot in the profession.

Incidentally, KY-NDNP now has a facebook group page. If you're on facebook please feel free to join us - it's a global group open to everyone.

Monday, September 15, 2008

did you know?

Kentucky has 120 counties. The most of any state except Texas with a whopping 254. Yet Kentucky is roughly only 1/6th the size of Texas; 40,409 square miles to 268,820 sq. mi. respectively. Somebody better at math than me could figure out the county size ratio difference....<hint hint>

Sunday, September 14, 2008

the first post

Welcome to the Kentucky edition of NDNP.