In 1976 archivists around Kentucky gathered to discuss the creation of an association in the state to promote archives and the work of archivists. Some of these charter KCA members included Lew Bellardo, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives; Sr. Mary Michael Creamer, SCN, Spalding University; Penny Harrison, Western Kentucky University; Pat Hodges, Western Kentucky University; Bill Marshall of the University of Kentucky, and Bill Morison of the University of Louisville.
The newly formed Kentucky Council on Archives held its first meeting March 28, 1977, at Western Kentucky University. Member dues originally started at $2, in 1977 and 1978. They were raised to $3 in 1979 and to $6 in 1981. Dues will be raised again in 1998, to $10, by membership approval in 1997. Penny Harrison served ten years as both KCA treasurer and KCA archivist. The records of the organization resided at her repository, Western Kentucky University, from 1976 to 1986. With Penny’s retirement from WKU, she relinquished the KCA positions as well.
In 1986 the University of Louisville’s University Archives and Records Center accepted responsibility for the archives. The archives remained at U of L for eleven years until April 1997, when Western Kentucky University agreed to host them again. U of L exchanged the role of archivist for that of KCA Web page host and creator. The archives are now located at the Kentucky Library, Western Kentucky University.