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.
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 a University of Kansas campus map from August 1947. Usually KU related items are housed in University Archives, but this particular map belongs to the Kansas Collection. It was created by Frank A. Russell with contributions by KU’s Department of Engineering Drawing. The map was donated by Clayton Crosier, who has other collections at Spencer Research Library. This includes a collection of photographs and papers in the Kansas Collection and a collection of personal papers related to his time at KU in University Archives. Crosier (1903-1984) received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Kansas. Later, in 1945, he joined KU as a faculty member teaching Applied Mechanics and Civil Engineering. He retired in 1971.
Upon close inspection, one can see that some buildings remain in the same place today while others have moved around quite drastically. Some notable buildings that can still be found in the same location today include the Memorial Union, Spooner Hall (though it is listed as the art museum), and Watson Library. Some buildings that have moved locations include Green Hall and Robinson Gymnasium. Additionally, there are some buildings now on campus that did not yet exist such as Joseph R. Pearson Hall and, most notably, Spencer Research Library. Before the library opened in 1968, several annex buildings occupied the space behind Strong Hall.
Looking at the way campus has changed over time can be interesting given we are so used to the way it is now. As a former religious studies student, I find it interesting that the former religious studies building known as Smith Hall is titled on the map “Bible Chair.” It implies that the building served the same purpose, but the name shifted over time. Smith Hall was slated to be demolished in the 2023 fiscal year, but plans to do so have been postponed. In 2022 the University Daily Kansan (UDK) published an article about initial reactions to the announcement of the potential demolition. Smith Hall has since been added to the University of Kansas East Historic District.
Looking at the map, it is also interesting to think about why buildings moved significantly rather than staying where they were. The ways in which campus has shifted over time tell a story about the needs of the university. Despite all the changes, I hope there is something on the map you find interesting or did not know before.
Map of Campus of the University at Lawrence, Kansas, by Frank A. Russell. Lawrence: KU Department of Engineering Drawing, 1947. Call Number: RH Map R355. Click image to enlarge.
Over the past few years, before Juneteenth became a national holiday, KU Libraries gave employees the day off as a Day of Reflection. We used this time to reflect on what we knew and learn more about African American history, understanding the history of emancipation.
Official souvenir program from the 23rd annual Emancipation Celebration in Dayton, Ohio, 1923. Marcus Hamilton Papers. Call Number: RH MS 667. Click image to enlarge.
I grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan. It wasn’t as big as Detroit or Grand Rapids, but it was a large city with a number of companies that kept the city in business. Battle Creek is where the Kellogg brothers and Charles W. Post invented cereal. Those companies employed the majority of Battle Creek’s population. It is also the place where Sojourner Truth is buried.
Having this connection to the Underground Railroad where I lived, I became more interested in history. However, we learned about emancipation only from one view.
The front cover of Freedom to the Free: Century of Emancipation, 1863-1963, a report to the President by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1963. Call Number: RH WL C10768. Click image to enlarge.
A flier for the 1963 Emancipation Celebration in Wichita, Kansas. Leonard Garrett Papers. Call Number: RH MS 689. Click image to enlarge.
From junior high to college, many of my classmates were African American. I also had teachers, principals, and a high school counselor who were Black. It was only when I lived in and traveled around the country that I became aware of the lack of diversity in many communities.
A flier for the 1992 Juneteenth Celebration at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut. Personal Papers of Moses Gunn. Call Number: PP 463. Click image to enlarge.
When I began my research on Juneteenth, I could not find much information. A colleague mentioned that I should use “emancipation” as my search term instead. I wanted to learn the importance and history of the Juneteenth holiday. I found that emancipation celebrations were held on different days of the year in different locations.
With Juneteenth becoming a national holiday, I hope it is a catalyst for people understand and learn more about African American history from their perspective. Juneteenth is more than a day off work. It is a day to celebrate African American history and U.S. history to the present.
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A Juneteenth Celebration program, 2008. Records of the Topeka Council of Colored Women’s Clubs. Call Number: RH MS 1289. Click image to enlarge.
Researching our collections, I was able to find many documents on emancipation. This blog post is only a small sample from our holdings.
I encourage you to visit Spencer to see and touch the historical materials housed at the library. Spencer is free and open to the public. A reference librarian can work with you to find resources on emancipation, Juneteenth, and broader African American history in Kansas. See the library’s website for more information.
Bookbinding models are something of a theme for us this spring; in February, we installed our exhibitObject Lessons: Selections from the Conservation Services Historic Bookbinding Models Collection in Spencer Research Library’s main gallery. Creating and studying bookbinding models helps us to hone our hand skills and to better understand how books are made, which in turn improves the level of care we can provide for materials in KU Libraries’ collections
Four finished Even More Simplified bindings created in our workshop with Karen Hanmer.
Then in March, Conservation Services hosted book artist, fine binder, and bookbinding teacher Karen Hanmer for a two-day workshop to learn a new (to us) binding structure. Karen’s “Even More Simplified Binding” offered us – that is, Whitney, Angela, and Kaitlin, the three book and paper conservators here at KU – an opportunity to brush up on techniques and to learn some new approaches to bookbinding that we can apply to our work.
Conservators watch as Karen Hanmer demonstrates backing – shaping the spine of a book – on a job backer.
Checking sewn text blocks to see how well they open.
Karen describes the Even More Simplified Binding as “stripped down to only the essential elements;” it is elegant and minimal in appearance. But because the structure of the binding is easily discernible, great care must be taken at each step to ensure a pleasing result. This structure was a good choice for our group of conservators with a range of bookbinding experience; we all found something to hold our interest, and we all came away with new skills. Karen came prepared with lots of examples of other bindings, so in addition to the fun we had making our books, we also had lots of great discussions and digressions along the way.
Conservators gather around to watch as Karen shows how to mark the spine wrapper before attaching it to the book.
Detail of the Even More Simplified binding with spine wrapper laced on, before attaching boards.
Speaking for myself, I know that my approach to re-binding a book – on the rare occasions that it happens – has become much more conservative over the years. I’m interested in doing the most possible good for a book with the least possible intervention, and studying this binding has got me thinking about how I can apply its bare-bones-yet-structurally-sound engineering to projects that may come my way in the future.
Kaitlin, Karen, Whitney, and Angela with their finished books.
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 a book from Special Collections. Special Collections holds a wide array of rare books and manuscripts from throughout time. The collection “presently holds about 250,000 volumes printed since the mid-fifteenth century and about 250,000 manuscripts dating from antiquity to the present.”
The book, titled Boy: Tales of Childhood, is an autobiography written by Roald Dahl and published in 1984. According to Wikipedia, the book “describes [Dahl’s] life from early childhood until leaving school, focusing on living conditions in Britain in the 1920s and 1930s, the public school system at the time, and how his childhood experiences led him to writing children’s books as a career.” Throughout the book are photos from Dahl’s life. The book was followed up by a second autobiography titled Going Solo.
In one chapter of the book, “The Bicycle and the Sweet-shop,” Dahl remarks on his time at a private school. Though he does not remember much about the Llandaff Cathedral School, Dahl has two distinct memories from his two years there. The first memory he mentions is that of a boy riding a bicycle when he suddenly zooms by pedaling backward and not holding the handlebars. He then wishes to himself that someday he could do the same. The second memory is that of walking home from school with his friends and stopping at a candy shop any time they had the funds. One of his friends would frequently tell tales of how the sweets were made.
I chose to highlight this book because it gives a glimpse into the author’s life in ways that regular children’s stories might not. I had not heard of the book before finding it in the library. I was simply looking for books by Roald Dahl and this title popped up. Many of Dahl’s children’s books bring back memories from my own childhood, whether it was wishing I had magic powers like Matilda or hoping Wonka’s chocolate factory could be real. Interestingly enough, Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of my favorite movies as an adult. I even have it on DVD, so it is readily available at all times.
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The front cover, inside front cover, back cover, table of contents of – and selected pages from – Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl, 1984. Call Number: C25376. Click images to enlarge.
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 a book from our children’s book collection. The children’s book collection was founded in 1953 and has been built largely through gifts to the library. The collection consists of over seven thousand children’s books from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries.
The book shared today, titled Tales of the Fairies, was written by Lewis Marsh and illustrated by Lilian A. Govey. Probably published in 1912, the book highlights fairy tales from various countries. Little can be found about the book online, but I stumbled upon it by searching terms for mythical creatures in the KU Libraries catalog. I chose to highlight this book over others for a couple of reasons. First, given the book’s condition, it is clear that it is quite old. Older books tend to grab my attention more because of the histories and stories they hold, both physically and metaphorically. My second reason was that the illustrations in the book are quite intriguing. The artistic style shifts from illustration to illustration, which adds variety to the book. Additionally, some illustrations are in color while others are grey and white.
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The front cover of – and selected pages from – Tales of the Fairies, circa 1912. Call Number: Children B2740. Click image to enlarge.
