Kenneth Spencer Research Library

This week week, October 5-11, is Banned Books Week, an advocacy initiative started by the American Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee in 1982 at the suggestion of the Association of American Publishers, who were facing many censorship efforts by the religious right at the time. Libraries across the country celebrate this week with banned book displays and events that bring attention to the fact that our freedom to read is still under attack. KU’s Watson Library currently has a display of banned books, and KU students can check the Libby app for a list of e-books and audiobooks that are commonly challenged.

Spencer Research Library holds many classic books that are often challenged or banned in schools, including first and special editions of Fahrenheit 451, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and Naked Lunch. Beyond novels, Spencer also collects material for the Wilcox Collection of Contemporary Movements that would otherwise be banned in many contexts or far outside a typical public or school library’s collecting policies.

The Wilcox collection was started by Laird Wilcox, a student at KU in the 1960s who was interested in politics and concerned about free speech. He started collecting flyers, newsletters, and books from organizations on the political margins, including communist groups and right-wing leaders. As the chair of KU’s Student Union Activities Minority Opinions Forum, he brought several controversial speakers to campus, including neo-Nazi activist George Lincoln Rockwell. The 1964 event caused heated debate among students and faculty about free speech and what was appropriate on college campuses. (The Wilcox Collection includes photographs and cassette tapes from this event and Wilcox’s interview with Rockwell.) Wilcox’s experiences at KU as a student activist led him to collecting political material he feared would be banned or otherwise unavailable. He continued collecting until his death in 2023.

To find these kind of publications, Wilcox used directories like the Guide to Subversive Organizations and Publications, which was issued by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Un-American Activities (known as HUAC) and revised several times throughout the 1950s and early ‘60s. This directory included summaries of organizations with citations to HUAC’s own committee reports and records. Although this directory and others like were often used by librarians to censor their own collections, Wilcox used it essentially as a catalog. He also purchased books published by right-wing organizations and individuals on their beliefs that schools, government bodies, or other organizations were brainwashing Americans, especially children, with left-wing propaganda like Communist-Socialist Propaganda in American Schools by Verne P. Kaub. These were also useful for tracking down material, as they often included lists of titles and directions on how to (ironically) acquire them to review for censorship efforts in local communities. Wilcox also collected books, periodicals, and ephemera by organizations devoted to free speech that tracked censorship like Censorship News to help make collecting decisions and acquire material that is now available at Spencer.

By corresponding and meeting with booksellers and people who belonged to these groups, Wilcox expanded his circle of contacts to acquire more “subversive” books and material. He was able to facilitate acquisitions of unpublished manuscript materials from key figures in both left-wing and right-wing movements like Willis Carto (founder of the Liberty Lobby) and other collectors such as Albert and Angela Feldstein (who specialized in left-wing buttons, stickers, and posters). The Wilcox Collection now includes many formats beyond books such as photographs, audiovisual material, and more.

In his later life, after developing a reputation as an expert on propaganda and free speech, Wilcox wrote his own books on political extremism and compiled bibliographies of propaganda and books of quotations on censorship, propaganda, and freedom of speech. These publications are also available at Spencer in the Wilcox Collection.

The former Curator of the Wilcox Collection, Becky Schulte, wrote about Laird Wilcox, the history of the collection, and her efforts to expand it in a presentation to the Society of American Archivists in 2016, titled “Curating the Controversial: The Wilcox Collection of Contemporary Political Movements, University of Kansas.”  She details the acquisition of the collection of James Mason, a key figure in white supremacist movements, and both the difficulties and professional satisfaction involved in curating such a collection.

The librarian Mary Jo Godwin said that “a truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone,” a quote that is now widely circulated on social media during Banned Books Week and in other discussions of censorship. Due to the decades of tireless effort by both Laird Wilcox and Becky Schulte, we can say that the Spencer Research Library is among the best of truly great libraries.

Kate Stewart
Curator of the Wilcox Collection of Contemporary Political Movements

This is the latest installment in a recurring series of posts introducing readers to the staff of Kenneth Spencer Research Library. Today’s profile features Kate Stewart, who joined Spencer Research Library in August 2025 as the Curator of the Wilcox Collection of Contemporary Political Movements.

Where are you from?

I was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and when I was five, we moved to Merriam, Kansas, where I spent the rest of my childhood. Since I left at 18 for Vassar College, I have moved around a lot all over the country. Most recently, I was living in Tucson and before that, Washington, D.C. It is really great to be back in the area that I think of as home! My older brother and a lot of my high school friends went to KU, so I have many fond memories of hanging out in Lawrence in the ‘90s. Fun fact: I went to Day on the Hill for the first time in 1993 when I was in 8th grade! Unfortunately, that was the year after the infamous Pearl Jam show, but I did get to see MU330 and many other bands in Lawrence.

How did you come to work at Spencer Research Library?

I have been working in archives for almost twenty years, mostly in temporary positions that focused on political and oral history collections. When I saw this job posting, I knew it was my dream job. Not only is it exactly the kind of work I want to do, but I also have been wanting to move back to the area for the past few years. I feel incredibly lucky to be here every day.

What does your job at Spencer entail?

I’m the Curator of the Wilcox Collection of Contemporary Political Movements, which has a large number of books, ephemera, and manuscript collections related to left- and right-wing movements in the United States. In particular, it is the premier archive for researchers studying right-wing extremism and one of the only ones in the U.S. that collects that kind of material. My primary job duty is to acquire new items and collections in this area, which means I get to shop online for rare books and ephemera and work with people interested in donating their personal and organizational collections to the Spencer Library. I will also be teaching instruction sessions related to the Wilcox collection for KU classes and researching stories about how politics and libraries are interconnected.

How did you come to work in libraries/archives/special collections?

My mom, aunt, and grandfather were all librarians, so I grew up hanging out in libraries quite a bit, especially when I was in college. After getting a master’s in history at the University of Iowa, I decided to get my master’s degree in library and information science there too and join the family business. As a student, I got to work at the Iowa Women’s Archives, which was a terrific first job for me in this field. From there, I have had many different jobs (including five temporary ones) in archives or libraries, including the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the U.S. Senate, and the Arizona State Museum at the University of Arizona. I have also worked as a freelance writer, ghostwriter, and editor for many years as well, which has been a great joy.

What part of your job do you like best?

Walking through the building, especially the stacks, when I’m alone and it’s dark. I always feel like I’m in the suspenseful part of a horror movie, and it’s quite an adrenaline rush. But when it comes to my actual job duties, I really love working with students. It’s so much fun to blow their minds about what we have at the library and that it’s all here for them.

What do you have on your desk?

I have some duplicate zines from the collection Spencer acquired from the Solidarity Library, including one titled Winning Office Politics Quickly that has been making me laugh. I have a lot of books from Watson Library about the FBI for an article I’m working on about the scandalous publication of Max Lowenthal’s book on the FBI in 1950, which I have been wanting to write for many years. I have also started bringing in ephemera from my own past to decorate my office, and I am glad to get some of it out of my moving boxes and into a good home.

What is one of the most interesting items you’ve come across in Spencer’s collections?

While looking at zines for classes that are coming in this semester, I came across a famous one called Sniffin’ Glue. It was created in 1977 in London by Mark Perry, a punk fan and musician. It has some really great illustrations and photos from that time of bands like the Ramones and the Clash.

What are some of your favorite pastimes outside of work?

A lot of my life outside of work is consumed by reading about politics and participating in political organizations, although I don’t know if I should call that a pastime since it isn’t exactly enjoyable a lot of the time, especially these days. When I really want to relax, I take a long hike or go to a baseball game (I am a Royals and Nationals fan). I am also an obsessive music fan (and musician) and love to play card games.

Kate Stewart
Curator of the Wilcox Collection of Contemporary Political Movements

Check the blog each Friday for a new “That’s Distinctive!” post. I created this series to provide a lighthearted glimpse into the diverse and unique items at Spencer. “That’s Distinctive!” is meant to show that the library has something for everyone regardless of interest. If you have suggested topics for a future item feature or questions about the collections, you can leave a comment at the bottom of this page. All collections, including those highlighted on the blog, are available for members of the public to explore in the Reading Room during regular hours.

This week on That’s Distinctive! I am sharing an item from our Wilcox Collection, which is one of the largest assemblages of U.S. left- and right-wing political literature in the country. Since it was established in 1965, the Wilcox Collection has grown to include coverage of more than 10,000 individuals and organizations. The collection covers a wide array of topics including women’s rights. Most of the materials date from 1960 to the present.

The item shared today is a book titled 101 Wonderful Ways to Celebrate Women’s History. Written by Bonnie Eisenberg and Mary Ruthsdotter, the book (which is also referred to as a guide) was published in 1986 by the National Women’s History Project. It offers many different ideas on ways to celebrate women’s history. Shown today are some of the ideas presented for potential school programs. The guide notes that the activities within the section were “developed and recommended by classroom teachers around the country.” Other sections within the guide include school-community programs, as well as community programs. Some program ideas include designing women’s history posters, writing short public service announcements, and exhibiting books and works written by women at libraries. The book also has a slew of appendices that offer a wealth of information surrounding women’s history.

One of the guide’s authors, Mary Ruthsdotter, was actually a founder of the National Women’s History Project in 1980. A couple of years earlier, several of the group’s founders organized a local Women’s History Week in Sonoma County, California. Inspired by their success, women’s groups around the country lobbied for the week of March 8th to be National Women’s History Week. Congress later voted to make the entire month of March National Women’s History Month. Mary Ruthsdotter worked as the National Women’s History Project director for twenty years. The organization, now known as the National Women’s History Alliance, is still around today. National Women’s History Month continues to be celebrated today to ensure important women who fought for our rights are not forgotten.

Tiffany McIntosh
Public Services

Check the blog each Friday for a new “That’s Distinctive!” post. I created the series because I genuinely believe there is something in our collections for everyone, whether you’re writing a paper or just want to have a look. “That’s Distinctive!” will provide a more lighthearted glimpse into the diverse and unique materials at Spencer – including items that many people may not realize the library holds. If you have suggested topics for a future item feature or questions about the collections, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page.

This week on That’s Distinctive! I am sharing some scans of the New Women’s Times, a feminist newspaper from Rochester, New York, circa 1975-1984. I found this item last year while looking for Women’s History Month items. While it didn’t make the cut in 2023, I knew I wanted to share it eventually because the idea behind this paper really interested me. My preliminary research has turned up limited information. The paper appears to have first been published in 1975, and it apparently ended in 1984 after a call for feedback and donations went unanswered. According to the paper itself, it was published on a monthly basis except in August. A basic one-year subscription was $15. The pages shared today are from issues from 1983. As seen from the table of contents, the paper covered topics including women’s health issues, women’s rights, and so much more.

The New Women’s Times is housed within the library’s Wilcox Collection of Contemporary Political Movements. Established in 1965, the collection “is one of the largest assemblages of U.S. left- and right-wing political literature in the country.” Primarily covering the 1960s to the present, the collection comprises of more than 100,000 items such as books, serials, audio tapes, ephemera, and archival materials. The Wilcox Collection came to the library by way of Laird Wilcox, a researcher of political fringe movements. According to the finding aid for Spencer’s collection of Wilcox’s papers, “in 1964, Wilcox’s collection of political ephemera earned first prize in KU’s student book collecting contest. Emerging from that nucleus, the Wilcox Collection of Contemporary Political Movements was established at the University of Kansas in 1965, with Wilcox as its founder.”

Many copies of the New Women’s Times are available online via JSTOR.

Tiffany McIntosh
Public Services

Just when you might think you have a solid understanding of the range of materials in the holdings at Kenneth Spencer Research Library, they surprise you. A recent addition to the Wilcox Collection of Contemporary Political Movements, which brings together U.S. political literature and documents, is a terrific (and somewhat humorous) example: The Hippie Cookbook, or, Don’t Eat Your Food Stamps was authored by Gordon and Phyllis Grabe and published in 1970 by the Paisley Shawl Publishing Company of Forestville, California.

Cover of The Hippie Cookbook, or, Don’t Eat Your Food Stamps, 1970.
Call Number: RH WL AK105. Click image to enlarge.

Recipes in The Hippie Cookbook range from average fare such as cheesecake (page 25) and stuffed bell peppers (page 57) to hippie lifestyle-specific dishes such as “Paddy Wagon Rice Patties,” which are “good hot or cold and can be carried with you as quick snacks for emergency eating” (page 11). Other dishes are unremarkable in their ingredients but have intriguing titles such as “Peace Pancakes” (page 14) and “Good Karma Casserole” (page 67).

Recipe for peace pancakes in The Hippie Cookbook. Call Number: RH WL AK105.
Click image to enlarge.

Included in The Hippie Cookbook are sections offering advice on hippie food preparation, including “Brown Bagging for Peace Marches” (page 10), “Cooking in the Nude” (page 24), and “Presentation and Composition of Care Package Requests from the Folks” (page 2).

Instructions for requesting and receiving care packages “from the folks”
in The Hippie Cookbook. Call Number: RH WL AK105. Click image to enlarge.

In addition, shorter “hippie hints” are included throughout the text. As an example, Hippie Hint No. 9 advises that “if you burn your dinner put butter on it” (page 90).

But perhaps my favorite feature is the book’s dedication, which reads: “TO PEACHES: A four ton African elephant at the San Diego Zoo who has so far eaten a pair of glasses, two sweaters and a raincoat and is still grooving.”

The dedication to Peaches in The Hippie Cookbook. Call Number: RH WL AK105.
Click image to enlarge.

Sarah Polo
Public Services Student Assistant