Holding Communities: Celebrating the Work of Reinette Jones and History of the African American Experience in Kentucky

Reinette Jones is in her forty-second year working at the University of Kentucky. During her tenure at UK Libraries, one of her most notable accomplishments was her creation—with Rob Aken—of the award-winning Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (NKAA), which has become one of the most comprehensive and utilized resources on the Black history of our state. Alongside the many histories and educational guides she has authored, Jones brought a few hundred books, photographs, and ephemeral materials into the University of Kentucky Libraries related to the history of women, African Americans, lesbians, and librarians. This exhibition celebrates these collections and the trusting relationships in the community that such gifts represent. It also includes artworks from the UK Art Museum included in NKAA and contributions by the curator to the database. 

The Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies, part of African American and Africana Studies at the University of Kentucky, will host their 32nd Annual Black Women’s Conference on March 4 and 5, 2027 in honor of Reinette Jones. This exhibition showcases the research resources available to faculty, students, and researchers at UK thanks to Jones’s diligent work as a librarian with a special focus using photographs and prints that tell of the many years of public history discoveries. 

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“Officers and Teachers of High Street Christian Church Sunday School,” The Reporter (Mt. Sterling, KY) 2, no. 50 (April 14, 1906), pp. 20.