The Community Collections consist of objects shared from local community residents and organizations. Individuals have lent items of local significance to the library to give the larger community awareness and access. The original objects are not owned by the Lexington Public Library.
Submissions for the Community Collections are open. If you are an individual or organization interested in possibly lending items to be digitized by the library, please contact elibrarian@lexpublib.org. We consider item age, location, content, relevance, privacy considerations, and item condition when determining items to add. Content donors must be the legal copyright holders if the item is not in the public domain.
Current Community Collections:
Aunt Tiny Belle Collection - The small collection consists of an image, brochures, homemade posters, pamphlets, and programs covering LGBTQ+ events and places from 1983 to 1999 in both Lexington and Louisville.
Bath County Memorial Library Collection – The two collections in Bath County’s Community Collection are both primary sources from Bath County residents. The Gilmore diary collection spans 1944-1955 and is written by Etta Evans Gilmore, and the Young WWII letter collection was written by Bath County native Sergeant Johnston A. Young, during his time stationed in the Pacific theater during World War II.
Brown-Hocker Collection - The Brown-Hocker Collection is a community collection of photos and realia from Lexington history. The contents include objects from African-American students from local schools in the 1930s and 1950s. The collection contains images of objects from an anonymous community member.
Junior League of Lexington Collection - The JLL Collection contains photographs, posters, and content from the organization's 90+ year history.
Knights of Columbus Collection - The local Bluegrass Chapter 762 of the Knights of Columbus includes certificates and photos ranging from its beginning in 1903 through 1959. The organization currently supports the St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Peter Claver Catholic parishes.
League of Women Voters Collection - The collection for the local chapter of the League of Women Voters (LWV) includes membership rolls, photos, and historical objects from its 100-year history.
Lexington History Museum Collection - The Lexington History Museum has been educating about local history since 1999.
Milam Diary Collection - The Milam Diary Collection contains the World War II diary of David Franklin "Frank" Milam, who seved aboard the USS Yorktown in 1944-1945 in the Pacific Theater.
St. Paul Catholic Church Collection - The St. Paul Catholic Church Collection includes materials from the Church's archive. The Roman Catholic church is over 150 years old, and is located on West Short Street, in downtown Lexington. Currently digitzed materials include church directories and photos, along with weekly bulletins from the 1960s.
Take Back Cheapside Collection - The Take Back Cheapside Collection is a community collection from DeBraun Thomas. The featured postcard of the historic Fayette County Courthouse at was used as a part of the Take Back Cheapside movement in Lexington in 2017. The old courthouse was originally built in 1898. The photo was undated but taken circa 1905.
