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Inside Spencer: The KSRL Blog

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Welcome to the Kenneth Spencer Research Library blog! As the special collections and archives library at the University of Kansas, Spencer is home to remarkable and diverse collections of rare and unique items. Explore the blog to learn about the work we do and the materials we collect.

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FIFA World Cup Exhibit

If you’re a fan of soccer in general or Team Algeria in particular, be sure to stop by Spencer Research Library this summer and check out our small exhibit in honor of this year’s FIFA World Cup.

Sepia-toned photograph of a group of young men in white shorts, striped long-sleeve shirts, and dark knee-high socks.
A photograph of the Baker University soccer team in Baldwin City, Kansas, 1911. Leonard Hollmann Photograph Collection. Call Number: RH PH 536. Click image to enlarge.

One case features materials documenting the history of soccer locally and internationally. For example, Matthew Concanen’s 1721 work A Match at Foot-Ball; Or the Irish Champions: A Mock-Heroick Poem, in Three Canto’s (Call Number: B519) is a very early account of “foot-ball,” a precursor to modern Association Football (soccer), Rugby, and Gaelic Football, which were not codified separately until the mid-1800s.

The other case in this display highlights items about the history of Algeria, whose national soccer team is based in Lawrence during the tournament. The exhibited items span more than four centuries and reveal both European and Algerian perspectives toward the North African country.

Black-and-white illustration of a fortified coastal city on a hill.
An illustration of the Algerian capital Algiers in Description de l’Afrique [Description of Africa] by Olfert Dapper, 1686. Heavily defended under Ottoman rule during the 1500s and 1600s, Algiers was protected by the series of fortifications, walls, and gates seen in this image. Call Number: Summerfield E1118. Click image to enlarge.

Spencer’s FIFA World Cup exhibit will be installed in the reception area through August 14. Also on display is a short-term exhibit about Latino history and culture in Kansas, located in the North Gallery until July 31. And, there’s still time to explore Aging, Art, and Activism: Reimagining Our Aging Futures through Creative Representations and Personal Narratives, which you can find in Spencer’s Exhibit Space through August 14.

Caitlin Klepper
Public Engagement Librarian

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 24th, 2026 at 11:51 am and is filed under Exhibitions, Kansas Collection, Special Collections. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.