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.
Each week we’ll be posting a photograph from University Archives that shows a scene from KU’s past. We’ve also scanned more than 34,800 images from KU’s University Archives and made them available online; be sure to check them out!
Information about KU’s past can be found in Spencer collections beyond University Archives. This week’s photo, for example, comes from our Kansas Collection.
A view of Lawrence from KU’s North College, 1886. Note the two people, possibly students, standing on the walkway up to the building. Lawrence, Kansas, Photographs Collection. Call Number: RH PH 18, Box 8, Folder G:6. Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).
North College was located roughly where Corbin Hall now stands, between Tenth and Eleventh streets. The notation on this photograph states that it shows the view looking west from North College. However, a cursory exploration of maps and other photos – plus a portion of the Kansas River in the background – suggests that the view might actually be looking north from the building, likely up Louisiana Street.
Each week we’ll be posting a photograph from University Archives that shows a scene from KU’s past. We’ve also scanned more than 34,800 images from KU’s University Archives and made them available online; be sure to check them out!
Hoch Auditorium under construction, 1920s. The building is flanked on the left by Old Haworth Hall (where Wescoe Hall now stands) and on the right by Marvin Hall. University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG 0/22/33 1920s Prints: Campus: Buildings: Hoch Auditorium (Photos). Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).
Each week we’ll be posting a photograph from University Archives that shows a scene from KU’s past. We’ve also scanned more than 34,800 images from KU’s University Archives and made them available online; be sure to check them out!
People swimming in Potter Lake. 1910s. University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG 0/24/1 Potter Lake 1910s Slides: Campus: Areas and Objects (Photos). Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).
Each week we’ll be posting a photograph from University Archives that shows a scene from KU’s past. We’ve also scanned more than 34,800 images from KU’s University Archives and made them available online; be sure to check them out!
Next Monday marks the anniversary of James Naismith‘s first faculty appointment at the University of Kansas. The minutes of the Board of Regents meeting that took place on June 7, 1898, include this passage: “Upon recommendation of the committee on Instruction James Naismith M.D. was appointed to the chair of Associate Professor of Physical Culture and Chapel Director.” This appointment came six years after Naismith drafted the first official rules of basketball. The men’s basketball program officially began following Naismith’s arrival in 1898, and he became the team’s first coach.
The section of the Board of Regents meeting dealing with James Naismith‘s appointment, June 7, 1898. University Archives. Call Number: RG 1/2 1889-1907: Kansas Board of Regents: Minutes. Click image to enlarge.
The full page of minutes from the Kansas Board of Regents meeting, June 7, 1898. University Archives. Call Number: RG 1/2 1889-1907: Kansas Board of Regents: Minutes. Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).
Each week we’ll be posting a photograph from University Archives that shows a scene from KU’s past. We’ve also scanned more than 34,800 images from KU’s University Archives and made them available online; be sure to check them out!
Congratulations to the KU men’s and women’s track and field teams competing at the NCAA West Preliminary this week. Three Jayhawks – including two in the pole vault event – have already earned bids to the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Rock Chalk!
An athlete at mid-height of a pole vault at Memorial Stadium, April 16, 1965. Dyche Hall and Old Fraser Hall – which was razed about four months after this photo was taken – can be seen in the background. Lawrence Journal-World Photo Collection, University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG LJW 66/19 1965 April 16 Negatives: Athletic Department: Track (Photos). Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).
