Murray State Humanities+ Series and University Libraries host “Hometowns and Histories” archive event at Pogue Library
By Kayla Ruzicka | Oct 29, 2026
MURRAY, Ky. — Murray State University College of Humanities and Fine Arts is pleased to announce the next installment in the Humanities+ Series, “Life Lab: Hometowns & Histories,” on Tuesday, Nov. 3 from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Breathitt Room of Pogue Library, located at the corner of 15th Street and Olive Boulevard in Murray, Kentucky. The event is free and open to the campus community and the public.
The Humanities+ series was created to showcase how individuals can flourish in the world today. Through lectures, workshops, and cultural events, the series serves to foster creative, intellectual and educational opportunities. These events are meant to cultivate skills individuals need to learn and live. Life Lab events are a series of technology-free experiences offered throughout the school year to help people (dis)connect, reflect and build resilience.
Pogue Special Collections Library is a place to interact with unique research materials—such as the papers and works of Kentucky author Jesse Stuart and historian and biographer Forrest Pogue—and for quiet study. Inside is the Wells T. Lovett Grand Reading Room, which has been voted one of the best places to study on campus. Pogue Library also serves as a public research center on local history and genealogy, which participants in “Hometowns & Histories” will have access to for the event. Library staff will also be on hand to answer questions and help participants follow their curiosities.
Professor and Director of Archives and Special Collections at Murray State University Dr. Jeff McLaughlin will lead the session. McLaughlin has taught a variety of courses in public history, the Vietnam Wars, 20th Century international relations, and modern America. He is the author of JFK and de Gaulle: How America and France Failed in Vietnam, 1961-1963 (University Press of Kentucky, 2019) and Royal Treatment: Jackie Robinson, Montreal, and the Breaking of Baseball's Color Barrier (University of Nebraska Press, 2026). His commentary on Cold War historiography and American foreign policy has appeared in academic roundtables and reviews from H-Net and Cold War History. He also represents Murray State on the University Press of Kentucky editorial board.
McLaughlin said the “Hometowns & Histories” event is focused on encouraging students, faculty and the public to engage with archival material and learn how fascinating research can be.
“There are some great stories that just won't get told unless we start digging in local archives and put all of the puzzle pieces together ourselves,” said McLaughlin.
For more information on the Humanities+ events, contact Professor of English and Humanities+ Director Dr. Josh Adair at jadair1@murraystate.edu. For more information about the Hometowns & Histories event or Pogue Library, contact Dr. Jeff McLaughlin at smclaughlin1@murraystate.edu or by phone at 270-809-4295.