Kenneth Spencer Research Library

Finding aids are inventories that help researchers navigate collections of manuscripts, organizational records, personal papers, and photographs. Please scroll down for a list of the Kenneth Spencer Research Library’s newest finding aids and then visit the library and explore!

Newly inventoried! A still from The Cheat (1915), part of a sizable collection of Movie Stills, 1895-1998, amassed by KU Professor of Film & Media Studies John C. Tibbetts. Call Number: MS 297, Box 1, Folder 72

• Aldiss, Brian Wilson, 1925-. Papers of Brian Wilson Aldiss, 1978-1984. (MS 214, MS Q15:5, MS R4, MS Gal 1-6)

• Antisell, Thomas, 1817-1893. Notes and Annotations in 1859 Edition of The Manufacture of Photogenic or Hydro-carbon Oils, [1860?]-1880.  (MS C79, MS 306)

• Clark, John Garretson, 1932-. Personal Papers of John G. Clark, 1900-2000. (PP 399)

• Coster, Henry J. de. Account Book of Henry J. de Coster, 1790-1802. (MS B8, MS MS P732)

• “Cousin Sallie.” Letter of “Cousin Sallie,” 1860. (RH MS P900)

• Milford (Geary), Davis County, KS. Milford, Davis County, Kansas Letters, 1880. (RH MS P910)

• Thatcher, Myrtle E. Green, 1910?-. Thatcher Family Papers, 1926-2006. (RH MS 1250, RH MS-P 1250, RH MS-P 1250 (f), RH MS-P 1250 (ff), RH MS Q349, RH MS R316)

• Heigham, Charles William. Notes and annotations relating to the history of elections in the county of Suffolk, circa 1865. (MS P727)

• Robert Mills Literary Agency. Corporate Papers of the Robert Mills Literary Agency, 1948-1989. (MS 307).

• Multiplication Table from the 16th century used as a binding fragment, 15–. (MS P731)

• Parkin, Thomas, b. 1845. Papers of Thomas Parkin, 1853, 1909. (MS P728)

• Poole, William, 1830?-. Papers of Reverend William Poole, circa. 1868. (MS P729)

• Sinclair, Upton, 1878-1968. Upton Sinclair Literary Manuscript and Correspondence, 1914-1975. (MS 299)

• Tibbetts, John C. Collection of Movie Stills, 1895-1998. (MS 297, MS Q53)

• Townley, Lucy Isabel Jones, 1885-1917. Papers and photographs of Lucy Jones Townley, 1903-1918, 1932, 1972, 1980. (RH MS 1270, RH MS-P P1270, RH MS Q83)
  

• Notes on the Treaty of Paris (1763), after February 1763. (MS P730)

• Willmann, Gustav. Diploma of Gustav Willmann, 1909. (RH MS R304)

To search across all of Spencer’s finding aids, please click here.

Caitlin Donnelly, Head of Public Services

I am absolutely thrilled to be the new Head of Public Services at Kenneth Spencer Research Library! In this position, I’ll be working with students, faculty members, scholars, and other patrons and visitors who come to the library to conduct research, attend class, or tour the North Gallery and exhibit area.

I have long been especially passionate about access, reference, instruction, and outreach in special collections. Early in my career, my personal interest in history matured into a professional enthusiasm for helping patrons connect with historical resources and the past in ways they find meaningful. More recently, my interest has evolved to focus on facilitating and expanding the use of special collections; demonstrating the relevance of history and special collections to a variety of scholarly disciplines and groups of non-academic users; and helping researchers become comfortable and competent users of special collections materials.

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, and sister of a KU alumnus, I have a BA in Humanities–American Civilization from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2004), an MA in public history from North Carolina State University (2006), and an MSLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2008). Before joining the team at Spencer, I was the Archivist at the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo (2008-2012), where I was responsible for all duties associated with managing the archival collection. I also have additional professional experience with the Missouri State Archives-St. Louis, UNC’s Documenting the American South, the NCSU Special Collections Research Center, the UIUC Government Documents Library, and the National Park Service.

I look forward to helping improve patrons’ experiences at Spencer Research Library. Have a question about our collections, services, or procedures? Feel free to give me a call at (785) 864-4456 or drop me an email at cdonnelly@ku.edu. I look forward to hearing from you!

Caitlin Donnelly
Head of Public Services

Trying to decide what you would like to do over the winter holidays?  Why not get a head start on your research?  Here is a list of the newest finding aids and additions to finding aids available at the Kenneth Spencer Research Library.  Please scroll down for images from three of these collections.

• Acton, Harold, 1904-1994. Letters to Geoffrey Elborn, 1978. (MS P736)
• Arkansas River Coalition. Corporate Records of the Arkansas River Coalition, 1997-2010. (RH MS 1268, RH Video 38)
• Condon, Edwyna Forsyth. Personal Papers of Edwyna Gilbert, 1955-2011. (PP 519)
• Creeley, Robert, 1926-2005. Letters by Robert Creeley, 1959-1965. (MS 15CR)
• Devin, Dorothy Barto, 1897-1987. Dorothy Barto Devin Diary, 1915-1916. (PP 500)
• Dyche, Lewis Lindsay, 1857-1915. Personal Papers of Lewis Lindsay Dyche, 1882-1914. (PP 66)
• Finlay, Ian Hamilton. Poetry and Correspondence, 1964-1967. (MS 48, MS Q49)
• Goff, Charles W. Manuscript letter of Charles W. Goff, 1918. (MS P734)
• Griffin, Dorr C. Manuscript journal of Dorr C. Griffin, 1914. (MS B174)
• Hall, E. Raymond (Eugene Raymond), 1902-1986. Personal Papers of E. Raymond Hall, 1890-1983. (PP 167, PP 513)
• Hamilton, Gail J. KU Twelve Incident, 1980-1983. (PP 497)
• Haydon, Benjamin Robert, 1786-1846. Clipping Book, 1813-1846. (MS 305)
• Hazard, Ebenezer, 1744-1817. Ebenezer Hazard letter to Jedidiah Morse, New York, 1789. (MS P737).
• Inge, William. Peter Stansky’s William Inge Collection, 1968-1972. (RH MS 1249)
• Jackson, Elmer C. (Elmer Carter), 1912-. Elmer C. Jackson papers, 1896-1999. (RH MS 410, RH MS 760, and additional call numbers)
• Johnson, Jennie. Correspondence of Jennie and Will Johnson, 1885-1888. (RH MS P909)
• Kaw Valley Quilters Guild. Kaw Valley Quilters Guild records, 1977-2011. (RH MS 695, RH MS 1248, and additional call numbers)
• Lawrence Association for Innovative Education. Alternative Schools in Lawrence Kansas, 1970-1980. (RH MS 1225, RH MS Q360, RH MS R324)
• Levertov, Denise, 1923-1997. Letter by Denise Levertov, 1964. (MS 15L)
• Pitney, Jerome. Letters of Jerome Pitney, 1882?-1888. (RH MS P908)
• Purdy, James. Letters to Geoffrey Elborn, 1976-1981. (MS 302)
• Reddin, Kenneth, 1895-1967. Writings and correspondence of Kenneth Reddin, 1914-1958. (MS 14)
• Rhodes, Richard, 1937-. Richard Rhodes papers, 1938-2011. (RH MS 1134  and additional call numbers)
• Sauer, Gordon C. (Gordon Chenoweth), 1921-. Personal papers of Gordon C. Sauer, 1947-1991. (PP 349)
• Shenk, Henry A., 1906-1989. Personal Papers of Henry A. Shenk, 1933-1971.  (PP 211)
• Sullivan, Anna C., 1848-. Collection of Anna C. Sullivan, 1914-1920. (MS B175, MS R11)

Top: “Free the KU Twelve” buttons. Gail J. Hamilton Collection. Call Number: PP 497: Box 1, Folder 26; Left: Letter from Jennie Johnson to Will Johnson, January 26, 1886. Jennie Johnson Collection. Call Number: RH MS P909: Folder 1; Right: Letter from Ernest Boyd to Kenneth Reddin, October, 14, 1936. Kenneth Reddin Collection. Call Number: MS 14: Box 3, Item C1. Click images to enlarge.

Here at the Kenneth Spencer Research Library, we take for granted that when you say “Sandy,” people know who you mean. Alexandra (Sandy) Mason (1931-2011) was a distinguished librarian who served the University of Kansas from 1957 until her retirement in 1998. She built special collections of extraordinary research value, guided generations of scholars and librarians, was a leader in the Rare Books and Manuscript Section of the American Library Association, and received numerous awards for her lifetime of accomplishments. More information about her is available here.

In May, 1999, many of her colleagues and friends gathered in Lawrence to mark Sandy’s retirement with a series of tributes appropriately titled Vivat Liber (“Long live the book!”). Upon Sandy’s death, the idea of publishing these tributes again came to mind as a way to honor her memory. It is with great joy and pride that I announce the publication of Vivat Liber: Reflections Marking the Occasion of Alexandra Mason’s Retirement from the Kenneth Spencer Research Library, which was made possible with the assistance of Stuart Roberts, Courtney Foat, Marianne Reed, and Brian Rosenblum.

Left: Vivat Liber: Reflections Marking the Occasion of Alexandra Mason’s Retirement from the Kenneth Spencer Research Library. Editor: Beth Whittaker. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas Libraries, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1808/10486. Right: Sandy Mason. 8/14/1998. University Archives. Call Number: RG 41/0: Mason, Alexandra.

Click here to read Vivat Liber through KU Scholarworks.

Beth Whittaker
Head of Spencer Research Library

Have you ever wondered what steps are involved in mounting an exhibit? We recently completed installation of “100 Years of Jayhawks: 1912-2012,” curated by University Archivist Becky Schulte, with assistance from Letha Johnson and Sherry Williams. The exhibit celebrates the evolution of the Jayhawk, the mascot of the University of Kansas, from the first, long-legged version drawn by Hank Maloy to the present design. This is the first exhibit to be mounted in a newly renovated space in Spencer, in the former location of the Special Collections reception area.

Becky Schulte retrieved many items from the stacks and determined the theme of each of the five cases. Assistant Conservator Roberta Woodrick and I covered the exhibit case bases with the cloth Becky had selected. Once the cases were ready, Becky laid out objects in the cases in rough configurations, determining the best location for each item while considering the flow of the exhibition “story.”

Initial layout of materials in the case. Click image to enlarge.

After items were placed in the cases, we constructed mounts for materials in order to elevate, highlight, and soundly support them during the course of the exhibit. For this exhibition we selected archival matboard and Volara polyethylene foam as mount materials, both of which are inert and will not chemically or physically damage objects on display.

University Archivist Becky Schulte positioning an item on matboard within the case.
Click image to enlarge.

Once the labels and mounts were finished, the Jayhawks were placed in the cases. We measured and determined safe lighting levels for the exhibition space to limit light exposure to objects on display.

Finished Product! The final version of one of the exhibition’s five display cases.
Click image to enlarge.

The exhibit will be on open through March and may be viewed during regular Kenneth Spencer Research Library Hours:  Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm, and (when regular classes are in session) Saturday 12:00pm-4:00pm . Please visit and let us know what you think!

For images from the exhibition’s opening celebration on Wednesday, December 5, please click on the thumbnails below.

Whitney Baker
Head, Conservation Services