Architecture and the (Digital) Archives
I was first introduced to Kenneth Spencer Research Library through my First-Year Seminar. While I thought it was a cool place, and certainly had a unique variety of materials that could keep me entertained for days, I didn’t think I would ever use it.
I started working at the library a little less than a year later, and I began to see even more of the vast selection of intriguing materials that the library hosts. One day I was working on boxing up some recycling when I came across a little souvenir booklet that had illustrations of various buildings on campus. Since it was in the recycling pile, I was allowed to keep it, and the pictures fascinated me. [Spencer librarians sometimes weed duplicates from the collection. That was the case here; the library’s copy of Miniatures of Lawrence, Kan. can be found in University Archives. The call number is RG 0/24/G 1904 photographs.]
![Title and embellishments in gold against a black background.](https://blogs.lib.ku.edu/spencer/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Miniatures-of-Lawrence-Kan_front-cover-1024x693.jpg)
![This image has text. Publication information in gold against a black background.](https://blogs.lib.ku.edu/spencer/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Miniatures-of-Lawrence-Kan_back-cover-1024x730.jpg)
Fast forward four months when my Theory of Urban Design class assigned a project titled “Now and Then.” As you might expect, the project wanted us to look at how one place had changed over the past 20 years. It was relatively simple; we just had to find an old photograph of a building/urbanized area of Lawrence, recreate it, and write a description of the differences between the photographs.
A few days before this had been assigned, I was walking behind Spooner Hall and found the remains of an old fountain. Thinking it looked cool, I snapped a photo. That fountain got me wondering about the history of the building, and this project gave me the perfect opportunity to explore it.
![A fountainhead of an animal on a brick wall covered in ivy.](https://blogs.lib.ku.edu/spencer/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Spooner-Hall-fountain-768x1024.jpg)
In my little book of miniatures there were two images depicting Spooner Hall.
![Black-and-white oval photograph of Spooner Hall.](https://blogs.lib.ku.edu/spencer/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Miniatures-of-Lawrence-Kan_library-no-1-1024x768.jpg)
![Black-and-white oval photograph of Old Blake and Old Fraser halls.](https://blogs.lib.ku.edu/spencer/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Miniatures-of-Lawrence-Kan_view-from-library-1024x768.jpg)
Originally, I was just going to recreate one of those, but just in case I went online to see what other old pictures I could find. One of the first images I came across was from a Spencer blog post that depicted children sledding down the hill behind Spooner. From there I discovered dozens of other images in the University Archives Photographs digital archives that I wanted to incorporate into my project. It quickly turned from a two-page assignment into a ten-page booklet about the history of Spooner Hall.
![Black-and-white photograph of children sledding down a tree-lined sidewalk behind two buildings.](https://blogs.lib.ku.edu/spencer/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ku-uaphotos_2580_OBJ-1024x1021.jpg)
This project gave me a unique opportunity to explore campus’s past through what I now consider one of the coolest places on campus. If you ever find yourself feeling stuck on a project, come to the library; there is a lot to explore!
Corrie Bolton
Public Services student assistant
Tags: Corrie Bolton, KU History, photographs, Spooner Hall, Student projects, University Archives, University history, University of Kansas