William T. Young Library
central library at the University of Kentucky
The William T. Young Library (colloquially 'Willy T.') is located on the campus of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It is named for William T. Young, a prominent local businessman, horse breeder, philanthropist and alumnus of the university, who began fundraising efforts with a donation of $5 million. The facility serves as a central library for the university's social sciences, humanities, and life sciences collections, and acts as a federal depository and a public library for the state of Kentucky. It holds the record among public universities in the nation for the largest book endowment.
History
The history of the library dates back to the mid-1970s when then-University President Otis A. Singletary and successor David Roselle urged the state of Kentucky to fund a research library yearly between 1975 and 1989. This came after an addition to the Margaret I. King Library was completed. However, funding for the new library never materialized due to budget cuts from the state.
In 1990, then-President Charles Wethington pledged to the faculty and students that building a new library would be "top priority;" however, he was met with much resistance from state leaders. The university initiated a massive fund-raising campaign 1991. The top donor who kick-started the project was Lexington businessman and horse breeder William T. Young, who gave $5 million; the university would later raise $21.5 million.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “William T. Young Library” as central library at the University of Kentucky. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as central library at the University of Kentucky. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q8019147. Authority coordinates are 38.033, -84.501. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1975, 1989, 1990 and 1991.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “William T. Young Library”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow William T. Young Library primary sources, William T. Young Library archive and William research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “William T. Young Library” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.