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Guide to the Louis A. Kenney Papers
MS-0393
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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
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.
This collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
San Diego State University -- Faculty -- Biography -- Sources
San Diego State University. Library. Dept. of Special Collections -- History -- Sources
Personal Papers
Photographs
Publications
Kenney, Louis A., 1917- -- Archives
Kenney, Louis A., 1917- -- Correspondence
Academic librarians -- California -- San Diego -- Biography -- Sources
Academic librarians -- California -- San Diego -- Correspondence
Censorship -- Netherlands -- Early works to 1800
Censorship -- Netherlands -- History -- 16th century
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.
This collection is open for research.
Identification of item, folder title, box number, Louis A. Kennedy Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Library
and Information Access, San Diego State University.
I. Correspondence, 1960-1980
II. Professional Files, 1950-1992
III. Printing Ephemera
IV. Scrapbooks, 1914-1950
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.