Renovation projects impacting services at multiple library locations. More information.
UK Libraries' King Library Press will hold its annual Wayzgoose (Open House) on Thursday, Sept. 24 in its new (temporary) home off Core B of William T. Young Library.
All UK and Lexington community members are invited to stop by between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to view live demonstrations of the Press’s hand-operated printing presses, see the incredible handmade books, broadsides, and keepsakes produced by the Press, and enjoy free snacks and refreshments.
Formerly housed in the basement of Margaret I. King Library, the Press is relocating during the renovation project that will modernize this central campus landmark and help bridge its current and former roles.
As we welcome users to explore the Press’s new home, we are shining a light on the Press’s 70-year history and its past – and future – relationship with the library for which it is named.
In 1956, three librarians – Carolyn Reading, Nancy Chambers, and Mary Vorhees – began spending their lunch breaks in the basement of King Library printing on a Chandler & Price jobbing press.
At the time, Lexington was a national hotspot for fine press printing. Much of that had to do with Victor Hammer, a Viennese artist, sculptor, printer, type crafter, and architect who had emigrated to the United States in 1939 and begun teaching at Transylvania University in 1948, where Reading studied with him.
“A lot of academics and university folks got into printing – and especially into doing it the right way,” said Kadin Henningsen, the Head of the King Library Press. “Carolyn especially wanted to refine her craft and continue to grow the letterpress and fine printing community in the region. As the practice took shape at King Library, a real dedication to access and a striving to preservation were developed here.”
The King Library Press is a working fine press, but it is also a distinct collection. “We’re tasked with preserving historical machinery, and to do that we must keep it in use. We’re also tasked with preserving this craft of letterpress printing and book arts, and the best way to keep these skills alive is through teaching them to other people,” said Henningsen.
Through its apprenticeships and volunteer opportunities, anyone at UK or in the broader Lexington area can learn hands-on all the steps of producing a book – from the selection and editing of text, through typesetting and printing, to folding and binding – to the same technical specificity that was instilled to Reading by way of Hammer.
“You don't have to be in a specific major or program,” said Colleen Barrett, Rare Books Librarian and Administrator of the Press. “If you decide something's research, it's research, and if you just want to make something, you can make it. There are lots of creative people from all across campus that are involved here, and it makes for a very vibrant and supportive community.”
From that initial Chandler & Price jobbing press, the KLP now boasts 21 presses – along with an extensive typographic collection. Following the renovations, the Press should be more visible to students and community members.
“Our goal at the Press has always been to bring together tradition and innovation, and the new space will allow us to do that even more than in the past,” said Henningsen. “We’ll have more space to bring in larger groups and new opportunities for incorporating digital technologies like 3D printing or laser-cutting.”
“10 years ago, the King Library Press was one of the only collegiate presses left in the country,” said Deirdre Scaggs, Associate Dean for Research & Discovery. “But now they’re becoming popular again. In the past, we’ve only had a part-time Director of the Press, but with Kadin we’re thrilled to now have a full-time Director. Improvements to the space will enable greater discoverability and increased instruction capacity, and help the Press continue what it has always done: bridge 19th and 21st century technologies and allow apprentices, students, and community members to explore the relevance of the past in creating the future.”
The Press provides numerous ways for students, faculty, staff, and community members to get involved in the book arts.
The Press offers its aforementioned apprenticeships and volunteer opportunities to students across all majors at the undergraduate and graduate level and to all faculty, staff, and community members regardless of prior experience. Apprentices and volunteers can work with the Press for as little as a semester or as long as several years.
Working with the Press is a unique and unparalleled opportunity to learn a centuries-old art from world-renowned experts with decades of experience across all aspects of printing and typography.
Additionally, seminars and workshops held every year bring some of the most distinguished printers, type designers, typographers, and book artists from around the world to UK’s campus, providing an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with noted experts in the field.
UK Libraries is thrilled to welcome Kadin Henningsen as the inaugural Head of the King Library Press. Beginning his post in January 2026, Henningsen manages the day-to-day activities of the Press including instructional programming and yearly events.
Recognized by the American Printing History Association for his contributions to the practice and history of printing and the book arts, Henningsen is an award-winning printer-scholar. He is completing a PhD in nineteenth century American literature and book history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds an MA in Gender & Women’s Studies from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work is housed in several institutional collections including the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Houghton Library at Harvard University, the Special Collections Research Center at the University of Kentucky, and the Library of Congress.
In addition to his work as a printer-scholar, Henningsen has almost fifteen years of experience in special collections, previously working at the Newberry Library in Chicago and the Huntington Library near Los Angeles. As part of his stewardship of the King Library Press, Henningsen is interested in further developing the KLP’s dual role as both a working fine press in the Bluegrass region and as a distinct historical collection within the Special Collections Research Center.
For information about the KLP’s collections, internships or apprenticeships, or about getting involved in the day-to-day activities of the Press, please contact KingLibraryPress@uky.edu or email Henningsen directly at Kadin.Henningsen@uky.edu.
