Guide to the Louis A. Kenney Papers
Finding Aid Authors: Jennifer Hollander.
© Copyright 2008 Special Collections & University Archives. All rights reserved.
2008-06-09
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
Email: scref@rohan.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-6791
Guide to the Louis A. Kenney Papers
1914/1992
Special Collections & University Archives
Overview of the Collection
Collection Title: Louis A. Kenney Papers
Dates: 1914-1992
Bulk Dates: 1950-1992
Identification: MS-0393
Creator:
Kenney, Louis A., 1917-1993
Physical Description: 3.00 linear ft
Language of Materials:
English
French
German
Italian
Repository:
Special Collections & University Archives
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
Email: scref@rohan.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-6791
Biographical Information:
Born February 28, 1917 in Dorchester, NE, Louis A. Kenney received his BA from Nebraska State College, Kearney in 1939. He
completed a BS and a MS in Library Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana. He spent a year studying abroad in Switzerland
from 1949-1950 and was awarded his PhD in History from the University of Maryland in 1960. His thesis was titled
The Censorship Edicts of Emperor Charles V in the Low Countries, 1515-1550.
Kenney served as San Diego State's University Librarian from 1961 to 1980. During his tenure, Kenney played an instrumental
role in planning for a new library building; the Malcolm A. Love Library which opened in 1971. As a result, the library's
collection tripled in size and Kenney was able to play a key role in establishing the Special Collections department. He
also helped form the Friends of the Malcolm A. Love Library in 1964 and served on its Board.
Kenney was an avid collector of rare books. In 1967, he purchased the
Zinner Collection for Special Collections. Kenney retired from San Diego State in 1980 but remained active with the Friends of the Library
and various other organizations. He was named Emeritus Librarian upon his retirement. He died in December of 1993.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Corporate Name:
San Diego State University -- Faculty -- Biography -- Sources
San Diego State University. Library. Dept. of Special Collections -- History -- Sources
Genre/Form of Material:
Personal Papers
Photographs
Publications
Personal Name:
Kenney, Louis A., 1917- -- Archives
Kenney, Louis A., 1917- -- Correspondence
Topical Term:
Academic librarians -- California -- San Diego -- Biography -- Sources
Academic librarians -- California -- San Diego -- Correspondence
Censorship -- Netherlands -- Early works to 1800
Censorship -- Netherlands -- History -- 16th century
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use:
The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with
the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections
is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Requests for permission to publish must be
submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available
for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including
but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.
Conditions Governing Access:
This collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation:
Identification of item, folder title, box number, Louis A. Kennedy Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Library
and Information Access, San Diego State University.
Arrangement of Materials:
I. Correspondence, 1960-1980
II. Professional Files, 1950-1992
III. Printing Ephemera
IV. Scrapbooks, 1914-1950
Scope and Contents
The
Louis A. Kenney Papers document Kenney's years as University Librarian at San Diego State University. The collection dates from 1914-1992, and
has been divided into four series:
Correspondence,
Professional Files,
Printing Ephemera, and
Scrapbooks.
The
Correspondence series includes Kenney's ingoing and outgoing correspondence from 1960 to 1980, as well as his dissertation. Included in
this series are memos regarding the budget; various complaints and concerns from faculty and staff; information on meetings
and new employee appointments; requests for forming cooperative relationships with other libraries; and memos regarding the
library's move to a new building in 1971. The series is arranged chronologically.
The
Professional Files series documents a broad range of Kenney's life from his doctoral dissertation to his retirement from the San Diego State
library in 1980. The series dates from 1950 to 1992, with some undated materials. Included in this series is a copy of Kenney's
PhD dissertation,
The Censorship Edicts of Emperor Charles V in the Low Countries, 1515-1550, as well as a copy of a rare 1540 edition of
Ordenung und Mandat, a primary document used for his dissertation; and three folders of correspondence regarding the library's
Edward A. Block Memorial Collection from 1965-1973. Also included is Kenney's Campanile Club plaque, one of his nameplates, and a copy of a 42nd Infantry Division
history/yearbook, ca. 1943. There is no filing order.
The
Printing Ephemera series includes various numerous and varied materials collected by Kenney over his tenure as University Librarian.
The
Scrapbooks series includes three scrapbooks. The first was compiled by Kenney while on a trip through Italy with school friends in
1950. It includes postcards and photos of Kenney and his friends from Florence, Milan, Assisi, Rome, Amalfi, Pompeii, Sicily,
and numerous other locations in Italy. The second consists of postcards from Hawaii, Tokyo, Kyoto, Hong Kong, Shanghai,
and the Chinese countryside. It also includes some cards depicting the US Pacific Fleet, and the Japanese silk and tea industries.
The third scrapbook was compiled by Kenney while on a trip through France and Switzerland with school friends in 1949. It
is unclear if this is the same trip in which he visited Italy. The album includes photos and postcards from the Queen Elizabeth
cruise ship, Paris, the French countryside, Zurich, Bern, and the Swiss countryside.
Detailed List of Contents
Box 1, Folder 15
deBellis Library
1968, 1969
Box 1, Folder 16
McConnel, Mrs. Frederick
1969
Professional Files
1950-1992
Box 2, Folder 2
Correspondence
1983,1984,1985
Box 2, Folder 4
Correspondence: Kearney State Foundation
1984-91
Box 2, Folder 5
Correspondence
1988,1989,1990
Box 2, Folder 6
Correspondence-Margit Smith
1986-1992
Box 2, Folder 7
Elizabeth Frazee- Worsley Correspondence
1968-70
Box 2, Folder 8
Block Memorial Collection Correspondence
1965-73
Box 2, Folder 9
Block Memorial Collection Correpondence
1965-73
Box 2, Folder 10
Block Memorial Collection Correspondence
1965-73
Box 2, Folder 11
"Despot Rules Love Library"
ca 1971
Box 2, Folder 13
"Report on the State of the Library"
1961
Box 2, Folder 14
Talks, reports, mixed dates
Box 2, Folder 16
Curriculum vitae, bio sketches (see also Kenney bio file)
Box 2, Folder 17
Talks to Library Personnel
mixed dates
Box 2, Folder 18
Pictorial History of SDSU, proposed publication
1978
Box 2, Folder 19
Censorship issue talks
mixed dates
Box 2, Folder 20
"Public Relations in the College Library"
July 1984
Box 2, Folder 21
Manpower Research Project
1978
Box 2, Folder 22
The London World Fair of 1851 by Louis A. Kenney
1950
Box 2, Folder 23
The American Democratic Faith and The Pragmatism of William James, Term Paper
1955
Box 2, Folder 24
Doctoral Dissertation rewriting and abridgement
Box 2, Folder 25
Doctoral Dissertation, Fourth Carbon Copy; Dissertation Summary, Reprint of Abstract
Box 2, Folder 26
Doctoral Dissertation Manuscript for Publication (not published)
Box 2, Folder 27
Printing and Censorship in the Period 1450-1550 (unpublished article)
Box 2, Folder 29
Unmarked Folder containing newspaper clippings
Box 2, Folder 31
"Frank J. and Amelin Kenney..." by Louis Kenney
Box 2, Folder 32
Miscellaneous cards, certificates, photos
Box 2, Folder 33
Mental Illness: Book Review
Box 2, Folder 34
Mental Illness: Correspondence, Review, etc.
1983-
Box 2, Folder 35
Photostat and typed of a rare 1540 copy "Ordenung und Mandat". Typed copy in Modern German and original in old German script
(was the final document for his PhD dissertation)
Box 2, Folder 36
SDSU Library Staff Association Bicentennial Cookbook
Box 2, Folder 37
Library Employee Handbook
1996
Box 2, Folder 38
Security and Emergency Policy
Box 2, Folder 40
California Faculty Association
Box 2
Field Artillery Battalion- 42nd Infantry Division (Yearbook)
Box 2
Campanile Club Plaque
1984-85
Box 2
Desk nametag "L.A. Kenney, Director of Libraries"
Box 2, Folder 41
Exhibit Notices and Catalogs
Box 2, Folder 42
Prospectuses and Announcements
Box 3
Dr. Louis Kenney and his classmates' trip through Italy
1950
Box 4
Pacific Cruises
1914-1915
Box 5
Dr. Louis A. Kenney and his classmates' trip through Switzerland and France
1949
