National Library Week Tribute #6: Stephens-Burnett Memorial Library

As I write this, I'm sitting in my office at the Stephens-Burnett Memorial Library of Carson-Newman College getting ready for our "after hours" movie night. It's one of our National Library Week activities. Some people don't think of using academic libraries when researching one's genealogy. While you probably won't be able to check out a book that might circulate to a professor or student, you will be able to use most of the resources on the premises. Our library has a great collection of Jefferson County research materials. We collect materials for about 22 East Tennessee counties. In our archives are copies of church records and minutes for many East Tennessee churches since we are charged by the Tennessee Baptist Convention with the job of maintaining archives for our part of the state. We also have an emphasis on Appalachia that extends across disciplines. The materials we have in this area bring a lot of context to the environment in which one's Appalachian ancestor lived. We have a pretty good collection of Baptist materials even beyond our immediate area.