About the Collections at Austin Peay State University
The Felix G. Woodward Digital Library is an interdisciplinary multimedia database that supports the research and instructional needs of the Austin Peay State University community. The Digital Library provides access to four collections:
- Austin Peay State University Archives
The Austin Peay State University Archives was established to collect and preserve records relating to the University. The University's own records date from its foundation in 1927 containing administrative records, personal papers and records of events. The records follow the rich history of the University through the Austin Peay Normal School years, Austin Peay State College years and to the present day University years. A small portion of our holdings is represented in the Felix G. Woodward Digital Library. The printed collection is open to the University community in the University Archives and Special Collections Room of the Felix G. Woodward Library.
- Clarksville Photographs
The Clarksville Photographs collection includes photographs from the mid 1800s to the present. The photographs are from the Matt Kirk Collection that were donated to the University Archives and Special Collections. The variety of photographs captures life on the Cumberland River to include buildings, Dunbar Cave, parades, tobacco, and more.
- Dorothy Dix
As the forerunner of today's popular advice columnists, Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer (1861-1951), writing under the pen name "Dorothy Dix," was America's highest paid and most widely read female journalist at the time of her death. Her advice on love and marriage was syndicated in newspapers around the world. One of her most famous columns was her Dictates for a Happy Life. With an estimated audience of 60 million readers, she became a popular and recognized figure on her travels abroad.
The Dorothy Dix Collection at Austin Peay State University is probably the most comprehensive collection on Dorothy Dix. It consists of biographical information on Dix; correspondence between her and relatives, friends and professional colleagues; scrapbooks from her school days; 40th anniversary as a columnist; an autograph book; travel diaries, memorabilia and passport; newspaper articles, magazine clippings; Christmas cards/article; Mirandy articles; demise of Dorothy Dix; pamphlet/booklet/miscellaneous; administration of Dorothy Dix Collection; product testimonial; honors, awards, family; books from Dorothy Dix's library, and papers from the 1991 Dorothy Dix Symposium. All books written by and about her are available in print at Austin Peay State University.
- Larson Drawing Collection
The first Border to Border exhibition was held in the Trahern Gallery in 1987. At that time, the APSU Larson Drawing collection was established with the generous support and fund-raising efforts of local art patron, Mabel Larson. Over 100 drawings have been purchased for the collection, from this on-going national biennial competition/exhibition resulting in one of the finest contemporary drawing collections in the Southeast region. Many of these drawings are housed in the Mabel Larson Fine Arts Gallery located in Harned Hall on Austin Peay Main Campus.
Special thanks to Bettye Holte, Paxton Tatum, Tom Deal, and Tina Randloph Seay for their hard work and dedication in digitizing this collection.
Technology
The digital images were scanned at 8-bit grayscale or 24-bit RGB color on a ScanPartner 15C flatbed scanner at 600 dpi or a Nikon Super Coolscan at 4000 dpi to create high resolution, uncompressed TIFF images; web access images were resized and converted to 72 ppi JPEG images for web delivery. Some images were cleaned up or cropped for Web display purposes only. Files were loaded into the CONTENTdm digital media management software, assigned metadata, and uploaded to the library's Web server.
