Keeneland Library
Vision
To maintain, enhance, and share the most comprehensive library of Turf collections in the world with our global patron base.
Mission
The Keeneland Library provides a facility and forum dedicated to collecting, preserving, sharing, and ensuring access to a wide array of collections to preserve the Thoroughbred industry’s history and present as an investment in its future.
Keeneland Library Team | 2025
Director: Roda Ferraro | Digital Assets Associate: Kirk Hoefling | Intern: Evie Clare
Project Curator: Sarah Cantor | Research Services Associate: Erika Williams
Keeneland Library
Strategic Goals
I.
Organization & Personnel
Develop and maintain a cohesive organizational culture comprised of adaptive, equipped, and responsive personnel and public service systems to meet ongoing patron needs and to grow the library’s research and outreach services.
II.
Collections Management
Preserve and provide access to renowned, robust, and responsive collections that support current and emerging research areas, evolving patron information needs, the Keeneland organization, the industry, and the community at large.
III.
Outreach & Community Engagement
Broaden the library’s impact through targeted education and outreach initiatives that heighten industry awareness and promote fan development.
IV.
Reference & Research Services
Connect industry stakeholders, the general public, and remote patrons to vetted information and image resources.
Development Initiatives
Expand the Library’s education and outreach initiatives by building the Keeneland Library Foundation through donor cultivation, grant funding, and philanthropic development.
Facility Management & Capital Improvements
Create and maintain the Library’s physical and technological resources to ensure effective preservation practices, exceptional patron experiences, maximized collections storage utilization, and efficient workspaces.
Highlights
Organization & Personnel
I. 2025 KEENELAND
Keeneland Library met key strategic objectives to develop its infrastructure and human resources, including:
• Augmented its digital assets team to preserve and heighten access to high-use photograph collections.
• Hired its first Research Services Associate to meet the evolving information and image resource needs of onsite and remote patrons.
• Assembled a team of writers, editors, translators, and photographers from six countries to develop its first bilingual exhibit, Raíces: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing
• Revised resource access and licensing policies to meet international copyright compliance standards.
• Contracted a team of specialists to complete digital repository migration projects.
• Performed routine evaluative assessment of metrics benchmarks to maximize resource deployment.
• Library Director was awarded the 2025 Dr. Anne Butler History Award.
• Library team participated in professional development with representation at the Horse Racing Women’s Summit, and Kentucky Library Association, Kentucky Council on Archives, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, and Kentucky Public Library Association conferences.
Patron Testimonials
“You never have to, but you always deliver. I really appreciate you going so far beyond any call of duty. You are a tremendous resource to the industry.”
- Thoroughbred aftercare facility founder
“You are something special, and I want to say thank you for all that you do to keep the story going.”
- Racetrack publicist
“I felt I got the coveted keys to the kingdom with the expertise you have. Thank you for a memorable experience – customer service at its finest.”
- Horse trainer
“You are a treasure, doing so many things to help the industry and the community. It is noticed, and we thank you.”
- Turf photographer
“I reached out to tons of libraries and museums across the country, and guess who answered the call? Keeneland Library always gets it done. I don’t know why I tried anywhere else.”
- Horse owner/breeder
“What a pleasure it has been to work with you and your staff these last several years. Your outfit is first class, and the evening with your lecture series will be a highlight of my life.”
- Historian and author
“Keeneland Library holds a special place in my heart. A wonderful site in which to research with the most knowledgeable and accommodating staff.”
- Horse farm manager
“You remain a special part of our family and contribute greatly to our Keeneland experience every year. We love you!”
- Library program patron
“Just paid a visit to the Keeneland Library to check out the new exhibit. I can’t say enough about this facility and knowledge and hospitality of the team. Many thanks!”
- Exhibit patron
II.Collections Management
Highlights from Keeneland Library’s collections development, access, and preservation efforts include:
• Due to the generosity of gifted acquisitions donors, Keeneland Library grew its collections, adding:
– 38,000 historic industry photographs including the Hill Collection donated by New York-based photographer Marguerite Hill; the George B. Featherston Collection donated by the esteemed Kentucky-based Turf photographer’s daughter Melissa Dickey; and the invaluable CTBA Collection comprising 20th to early 21st century images of West Coast breeding and racing gifted by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association in December.
– 1,146 equine industry books, including titles from the late journalist Ronald L. Hale’s library gifted by Hale’s wife Pamela Taranto.
– 886 issues of industry magazines, boosted by a rich collection gifted by Equine Network comprising issues of Modern Horse Breeding, The Horse, Off-Track Thoroughbred, and Practical Horseman; early issues of Turf and Sport Digest and Sports Illustrated donated by Lucas Marquardt; and an array of British Racehorse issues gifted by Melanie Maclennan.
– 523 racing programs and media guides from racetracks across the country, enhanced by a collection gifted by Kathleen Donovan.
– 24 original watercolors gifted by the Florida-based artist Alaura Allen featuring Black horsemen of the late 19th century.
– 4 trophies and julep cups comprising the Morton Fink Collection commemorating Wise Dan’s victories in the 2012 and 2014 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland gifted by the Fink family.
– 2 cubic feet of research notes and correspondence of the late Italian author and breeding theorist Franco Varola alongside monographs from Varola’s library gifted by his daughter Melania Varola.
– 2 paintings by the celebrated Thomas Coates entitled “To the Track, Keeneland” and “Before the Race, Keeneland” bequeathed to Keeneland Library Foundation by James Edward Bassett III.
– 1 bronze shelf sculpture entitled “My Song” gifted by the internationally renowned artist Dong Yang.
Patron Testimonials
“As a curator, I’m sometimes nervous about visiting other facilities. No need for that here. This is a top-notch repository, and what a joy it is to take it in and see the care and management you give to your collections.”
- Museum curator
“Thank you for this efficient, excellent service. As you probably could tell on the phone, I was stunned at the immensity of your collections and how easy you made it for me to access them without ever leaving my office. Thank you!”
- Economist
“Spending time in your collections storage areas puts us, I’m frustrated to say, to shame. How do you do it? Kudos on a job well done.”
- University librarian
“I cannot thank you enough for all the help you were to me a couple of weeks ago combing through all the collections. I could not believe just how much was there. An absolute joy!”
- Research patron
“I never understood the scope of the archives until I came. I spend a lot of time in libraries, and I’m typically tucked in a corner figuring out the collections on my own. Not the case here. You do a great job connecting us to your awesome collections.”
- Equine geneticist
“I very much appreciate your time, help, and tremendous knowledge of both the archives and horse racing. Those collections and your knowledge of them is a gift to the industry.”
- Horse farm communications manager
• Integrated 4,127 current born-digital industry news articles into the archive for future researchers.
• Indexed 547 articles from current industry print publications for heightened research access.
• Wrapped the archival rehousing and digital indexing of the Joe Haase Collection featuring nearly 1,200 negatives of West Coast tracks and personalities of the 1930s and 1940s gifted by photographer Barbara Livingston, making the collection available to international patrons in the fall.
• Concluded a 2-year preservation-centered digitization project of the Hemment Collection representing 6,500 photographic prints comprising the country’s oldest Turf photography.
• Launched a new searchable digital repository showcasing the Library’s Peb Collection of more than 3,000 works created by the celebrated artist Pierre Bellocq.
• Finished a 2-year preservation project to increase the lifespan of the Library’s rarest monograph holdings.
• Purchased new and rare industry monographs, reference volumes, and serials to fill targeted collection gaps.
• Completed cataloging and conservation work on the Louis Lee Haggin II and Alma Headley Haggin Collection, making the collection of limited print-run editions available to researchers in the summer.
• Continued progress on the 15-year preservation and access initiative centered on the Raftery Turfotos Collection – the country’s most comprehensive collection of 20th century U.S. racing photography – gifted by photographer Barbara Livingston in late 2023.
III. Outreach & Community Engagement
To meet our mission-critical goal of employing our renowned collections to cultivate community relationships, heighten industry awareness, and foster fan development, Keeneland Library made significant strides with its education and outreach initiatives, including:
• The Library freely reached more than 185,000 youth and adults from every state and 36 countries through its exhibits and education and outreach programs in 2025, more than doubling its reach in Kentucky and beyond in a single year.
• The Library hosted 143 free educational programs for 10,931 community and industry stakeholders.
• The Library’s Starting Gate Storytime introduced 795 children to the horse and the Thoroughbred industry through its literacy-centered children’s programs.
• The Library developed and delivered 68 free in-community educational programs to 9,096 youth and adults through in-classroom programs, university lectures and workshops, community speaking engagements, and industry panel series.
• The Library curated 8 Keeneland Library Lecture Series events drawing 662 attendees.
• The Library presented the Of Turf and Stone: Keeneland Through the Ages exhibit from January through September.
• The Library opened its first bilingual exhibit, Raíces: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing, in October.
• The Library traveled The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers exhibit to 14 hosting sites at schools, public libraries, universities, museums, and industry sites in Kentucky, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New York, South Carolina, and Virginia.
• The Library donated 575 books on the industry to schools, public libraries, community centers, and industry organizations, including providing a starter library for Stable Recovery dormitories.
• The Library Director spoke on research, preservation, and outreach best practices at 5 regional conferences.
• The Library Director was interviewed for articles, documentaries, and podcasts by 21 media outlets including KET, NBC, NPR, Garden & Gun, and USA Today.
• The Library engaged with 62 industry organizations and 70 community organizations to meet its patrons where they are.
• The Library brought a documentary screening, lectures, book signings, podcast episodes, and trackside outreach programs to Lexington’s Sister City of Deauville, France, reaching more than 5,000 international racing fans in July and August.
III. Outreach & Community Engagement
Patron Testimonials
“I loved the program and most of all I loved your enthusiasm for sharing it with us. I could have stayed for hours. Such a wonderful local history that needs to be shared. Thank you for your work!”
- Library program patron
“Thanks for the tremendous tour of the Keeneland Library. I have been a patron of Keeneland for many years but was unaware of this incredible gem. Your vast knowledge and insights into the holdings of the library were quite impressive. Keeneland is truly fortunate to have such a treasure.”
- Library tour patron
“The exhibit is simply beautiful in every way. You have taken Keeneland and the library to a whole new level.”
- Exhibit tour patron
“The traveling exhibit was such a boon to our library branch – so much excitement, great conversations, and our visitors’ joy to see some of their family members honored. You bring a real gift in this.”
- Director, traveling exhibit hosting site
“All of us learned a great deal and enjoyed our tour immensely. Thank you for your ongoing work throughout the community and for your unparalleled generosity of time and engagement.”
- Library tour patron
“Love the library’s online exhibits. I’m definitely bookmarking them to continue to explore.”
- Remote outreach patron
“Once again you have outdone yourself. You have created something truly special.”
- Exhibit tour patron
“Until Saturday during your talk, I had never given thought to the deeper cultural deliberations that went into the evolution of Lexington’s East End around that historic racetrack. Thank you for bringing it into clear focus with your insights.”
- Community program patron
“Thank you so deeply for all the work you are doing for equity. You are an inspiration.”
- New York Times journalist
“What a wonderful presentation from a remarkable ambassador. We have learned so much, and Keeneland is now always in our heart.”
- Outreach patron from the Library’s programs in Lexington, Kentucky’s Sister City of Deauville, France
“Thank you again for the amazing experience you provided our group with the exhibit tour. You covered tough ground well and made everything so relatable. We are impressed and will be spreading the word that this is a must see.”
- Exhibit tour patron
“I was blown away by your talk at Ekstrom today. Incredible stories, incredible delivery – an amazing experience for this Kentucky history nerd and horse racing lover.”
- University equine industry program student
“Thank you for putting your incredible voice to The Heart of the Turf traveling exhibit. You illuminate this forgotten history of the horse industry that was built on the labor of these men. We are so grateful for your time, generosity, and devotion to this history of our community.”
- Kentucky Board of Education member and traveling exhibit patron
“My husband and I attended your talk last week at the Hopewell Museum. We are still reeling with excitement. You have inspired us to dig deeper into our local history and our own family’s history, and we thank you for your help with that process.”
- Community program patron
“Thank you for last night’s lecture series event. Each one I’ve attended is amazing and so fulfilling. Great to see old friends and make new ones while learning more about horses. Perfect.”
- Library Lecture Series patron
“Your traveling exhibit made lasting impressions here. More than 2,000 students had regular access to it, and classes would routinely incorporate an exhibit stop into their days to learn this rich history after your talk here lit a fire under our teachers. Thank you for this incredible opportunity for our students and staff.”
- Teacher, traveling exhibit hosting site
“Oh my, what a time our middle schoolers had at the library this year! I have been on 15 to 16 field trips there – all different and great. We had a ball, and 8th graders typically act unimpressed – they were impressed. Thank you so very much!”
- Woodford County teacher and field trip patron
“Thank you for one of the best evenings of my life. It was extraordinary, as is the exhibit. I teared up when I saw you could listen to the whole exhibit in Spanish.”
- Exhibit open house patron
“I want to express my deepest gratitude for your incredible belief in this project and the work my fellow community members and I do. To see our older folks talking with their families and showing off their efforts in the exhibit was deeply emotional and incredibly moving. Thank you for all the volunteer effort you dedicated to make this exhibit happen and for giving a voice to me and to the entire Latino community.”
- Local artist and exhibit open house patron
IV. Reference & Research Services
Keeneland Library provided the following services to meet our long-standing goal to connect industry stakeholders, the public, and remote patrons to vetted information and image resources:
• Worked with 8,646 research patrons from every state and 26 countries.
• Completed 2,576 research projects for journalists, broadcasters, racetrack and horse farm managers and publicists, industry stakeholders, academics, and racing fans of all ages.
• Granted licenses for the use of 3,735 historic photographs in articles, books, exhibits, news stories, track and farm websites, documentaries, social media campaigns, and feature films; a 41% increase over 2024.
• Connected information and image resources to research patrons from:
– 20 industry publications and media outlets
– 31 mainstream media outlets
– 62 international industry organizations
– 70 community organizations across the country
Patron Testimonials
“I appreciate your time and hard research work on behalf of writers everywhere. You are invaluable. I hope you know how important you and your tireless efforts are.”
- Turf writer
“Many thanks to Keeneland Library for their help solving the last piece of my research puzzle. The library is the sport’s largest repository with history not found elsewhere.”
- Pulitzer Prize winning journalist
“Unbelievable research results. No institution honors the history of horse racing quite like Keeneland Library.”
- Turf broadcaster
“A big pat on the back for your super-sleuth skills! You are killing it, and we all owe you a big one. Thank you up one side and down the next for all the help, guidance and assistance in my most recent quest. I am flabbergasted.”
- Louisville Courier-Journal journalist
“The library has been a tremendous resource for us over the years. Your expertise and love of history make this my favorite place to conduct research.”
- Sports analyst
“Your research yielded far more than expected. Again, you have gone above and beyond. Nobody does it like you anymore.”
- Horse farm manager
“Thanks for your pivotal role in bringing our shared story to life. You always deliver!”
- KET documentary crew
“Thank you for the time and effort to find these historical gems. The Library’s commitment to preserving and sharing such treasures is commendable, and it’s resources like these that make studying racing’s past so accessible and rewarding.”
- Turf writer and historian
“You did a terrific job from A to Z. Thank you for sifting through the archives to find the perfect information and photographs for our publications.”
- University equine industry program faculty
V.Development Initiatives
Highlights from the Keeneland Library Foundation’s efforts to support expanded Library education and access initiatives include:
• Foundation launched the Friends of Keeneland Library – an annual development campaign to support the Library’s outreach and access services with a donation of $100 or more in a given calendar year.
• Library completed deliverables on a 250LEX cultural grant to support its newest exhibit centered on Latinos in racing that opened in the fall.
• Foundation was awarded an America250KY grant to support its traveling exhibits.
• Foundation was awarded funding from the Gardner Foundation, VisitLEX, Kentucky’s Society of Colonial Wars, and individual sponsors including Susan Naylor/Safari North LLC and Myla Edwards for exhibit and outreach initiatives.
• The Library sold 350 copies of the joint National Museum of Racing and Keeneland Library’s 450page 2025 publication, Racetracks of America, with all proceeds benefiting the Keeneland Library Foundation.
• Calumet Farm graciously donated 250 copies of its 100th anniversary pictorial history publication to Keeneland Library with all proceeds benefiting the Keeneland Library Foundation.
• Proceeds from Keeneland Library Lecture Series continued to benefit the Foundation.
• Keeneland Library Foundation received monetary donations from 91 individuals and industry and community organizations.
• 63 individuals and industry and community organizations supported the Keeneland Library Foundation through gifted acquisitions, in-kind contributions, and loaned objects for exhibitions.
On behalf of the tens of thousands community and industry stakeholders reached by the Library’s free research and outreach service lines, the Keeneland Library Foundation Board and Executive Director extend a heartfelt thanks to the individuals and organizations who helped Keeneland Library preserve and share more in 2025.
Keeneland Library
To learn more about how you can help Keeneland Library preserve and share more, visit keeneland.com/library.
Foundation Donors
*Alan Ackerman
America250KY Grant
Helen Alexander
Van Meter Alford
Tia Andreini
*Shannon Arvin
*Ann Banks
Martha Barnett
Kurt Becker
Mallory Behan
*Charles Boden
*John Booker
Timothy Brancamp
*Caton Bredar
Bill Buening
*Fabricio Buffolo
*Louis Carmichael
*Gina Cervantes
*Ellen Chapman
Mark Cincotta
*Shannon Corbett
Angela Corsetti
Kay Coyte
*Steven Crist
*John Dicken
*Melissa Dickey
*Adele Dilschneider
Leslie Dover
LEX250 Cultural Grant
*Myla Edwards
*Tawana Edwards
Michael Eisen
*Roda Ferraro
Beverly Fortune
*Robert Fulmer
*Gardner Foundation
Hugh Gillen
M. Tyson Gilpin
*Peggy Gdovka
Deborah Goldstein
Dean Gramesty
*Ken Grayson
Amy Gregory
*Rab Hagin
*Paul Halloran
*Suzanne Hayden
Susan Hayes
*Robert Heleringer
G.D. Hieronymus
Thomas Hinkle
*Ronald Johnson
*Jennifer Kelly
Kentucky’s Society of Colonial Wars
Jimmi Kolpek
*Justice Real Estate
*Genevieve Lacer
*Nana Lampton
Jean Lovell
Duane Marchyn
*Rachel Marchyn
Mariana Marye
*Robert McGoodwin
*Carrie McNamara
John Merchant
Judy Michelson
*Susan Naylor/Safari North LLC
*James Nicholson
*Joseph Browne Nicholson
*Theodore Nixon
*Jennifer Sue Oatey
*Bill Orzell
Linda Osika
Sue Overman
*Jeanne Pedicini
Brittany Peterson
*John Peterson
*Susan Prince
*John Rhorer
Patrick Robinson
*Tina Shearer
*Anthony Smith
Julie Tackett
*Clark Thompson
VisitLEX
Daniel Whitis
Kim Wickens
Mary Wilder
Bennett Bell Williams
Woodford County Woman’s Club
*Marla Zanelli
*Stephen Zollner
*2025 Friends of Keeneland Library
Supporters of Keeneland Library Foundation through gifted acquisitions, in-kind contributions, and loaned objects for exhibitions:
Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame & Museum
Alaura Allen
Braulio Baeza
Michael Batcheller
Conrad Bandoroff
James Edward Bassett III
Nora Beck
Elaine Belval
Oscar Benavides
California Thoroughbred Breeders Association
Calumet Farm
Martin Cap
Melissa Dickey
Ramon Dominguez
Kathleen Donovan
Annick Downhower
Janice Ely
Robert Judd English
Equine Network
Roda Ferraro
Morton Fink Family
Craig Gillispie
Ken Grayson
Arthur Hancock III
Bobby Harris
Jason Headley
Marguerite Hill
Robert Humphrey
Kentucky Derby Museum
Randy Kroop
Bill Landes
Lexington Public Library
Marty Parish Ligon
Barbara Livingston
Melanie Maclennan
Lucas Marquardt
Maryland Horse Breeders Association
Carlos Moore
National Musuem of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Sporting Library & Museum
Gary O’Dell
Elizabeth Olson
Marilyn Glass Owens
Keeneland Library Foundation:
Greg Pachman
Joyce Patci
Donald Pendleton
Amy Petit
Susan Prince
Joan Reising
Suzanne Rinehart
Cathy Rosenberger
Stephanie Ruff
Jose Santos
William & Joan Shanklin
Alex Solis
Richard Stone
Tampa Bay History Center
Pamela Taranto
Melania Varola
VisitLEX
David Wardle
Janet Webb
Dong Yang
In 2014, Keeneland formed the Keeneland Library Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to support unique Keeneland Library projects that preserve and share the Thoroughbred industry’s past and present with an eye to the future. The Keeneland Library Foundation’s mission is to broaden Keeneland Library’s access and outreach initiatives through educational programs for youth and adults, exhibits, and targeted digitization and preservation projects of its one-of-a-kind, world-class collections.
Keeneland Library
Foundation Executive Director: Roda Ferraro
Keeneland Library
Foundation Board:
Shannon Arvin, Kari
West, Hunter Stout, Kara Heissenbuttel
VI.
Facility Management & Capital Improvements
To ensure the Library’s facility and technology resources protect our collections and advance exceptional patron experiences, Keeneland Library:
• Continued a 2-year Cloud migration project for targeted digital assets.
• Implemented revised disaster preparedness policies.
• Installed new rain gutters.
• Conducted a space utilization survey of rare book room and vault storage areas and completed collections shifts to heighten long-term preservation.
• Performed gap surveys and initiated revised security policies.
• Installed new moisture sensors in collections storage areas.
• Implemented long-term mold mitigation measures.
Patron Testimonials
“Keeneland Library is a shining gem in the Bluegrass. If you haven’t visited it, you must correct that oversight ASAP.”
- Library program patron
“The facility is perfect for inspiration, some enlivened conversation, thoughtful programs and occasional quiet reflection.”
- Research patron
“I love that place so much, and what you are doing with it is seriously a joy for me to watch.”
- Historian and author
“The collections and facility are absolutely stunning. The care that must go into building and keeping safe that treasure trove!”
- Research patron
“I have lived here for 40 years and had no idea what a resource and gorgeous facility we have right here in our community. Thank you for sharing it so openly with us.”
- Library program patron
