The Kentucky Derby Museum has announced a new opportunity for researchers to
access more than 10,000 collection items as they relate to Kentucky Derby
history. The Colonel Clark Library houses items dating back to the mid-19th
century providing extensive resources through books, newspapers, magazines and
manuscripts and it will now be open for the first time as a publicly accessible
research center.
The centerpiece of the Colonel Clark Library is the collection of Jim Bolus,
long-time sports writer, historian and renowned expert on the Kentucky Derby.
The Bolus Collection consists of thousands of research files, printed materials
and recorded interviews covering the sport of Thoroughbred racing from 1875 to
1995. The Library also houses primary documents on the history of Churchill
Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby since its inaugural running in 1875, and
approximately 3,000 published volumes which include noted Thoroughbred industry
publications such as The Blood-Horse, Thoroughbred Times and
Daily Racing Form.
In addition to the new library, the museum has begun digitizing pieces of the
artifact collection. Interested researchers can now access a searchable database
by clicking on the “collections” tab under “about us” on the museum website,
then clicking “search our collection.” More than 2,500 archival and research
items have been added to the online database to date and this resource is
updated regularly with additional images and content. More than 10,000 artifacts
are housed in the Kentucky Derby Museum’s collection in addition to the more
than 10,000 research items.
The library is open on Tuesdays during the museum’s normal operating hours,
free of charge and also available by appointment. The library is staffed by
museum research personnel. Research items are readily accessible but may not
leave the premises as it is not a lending library.
For research inquiries, members of the public may contact the museum’s
curator of collections, Chris Goodlett at 502-637-1111 ext. 259, or
cgoodlett@derbymuseum.org.
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