Katherine Walter, Emeriti Professor with University Libraries, received the 2022 Sower Award in the Humanities from Humanities Nebraska (HN).
For many years, Walter chaired the university’s Digital Initiatives and Special Collections Department and was a founding director of the nationally-renowned Center for Digital Research in the Humanities. Her work established the university as a leader in digital humanities while bolstering the humanities throughout the state. Walter was a board member of HN's council from 2013-2019, serving as chair in 2016 and 2017. She also has chaired the Nebraska Center for the Book and the Nebraska Literary Heritage Association and was appointed to the Nebraska State Historical Records Board by governors Mike Johanns and Dave Heineman.
Among Walter’s many national grants was the Nebraska Digital Newspaper Project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, which resulted in preservation and digitization of community newspapers from across Nebraska. Through Nebraska Newspapers, Nebraskans have free online access to more than 650,000 pages of historic Nebraska newspapers.
Walter, who retired in 2020, will be honored on September 28 at the benefit dinner preceding the 27th Annual Governor’s Lecture in the Humanities at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.
