The University of Kansas

Inside Spencer: The KSRL Blog

Books on a shelf

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.

«
»

That’s Distinctive!: World of Oz

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! we highlight another collection belonging to John C. Tibbetts that is housed at the library. The collection consists of film stills and photographs for a variety of motion pictures; Tibbetts received the photographs as part of his work as a film reviewer. There are also various issues of the magazine American Classic Screen, of which Tibbetts was the editor. The movie stills in the collection range from 1895-1998. Movies included in the collection range from The Birds (1963) to Dracula (1979) to Saving Private Ryan (1998) and even Snow White (1937).

This time around we are sharing movie stills from the movies The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Return to Oz (1985). More information on the films and the trailers to The Wizard of Oz and Return to Oz can be found on IMDB.

A young girl in a dress helping up a scarecrow from falling on the yellow brick road amongst corn fields.
Photo still from the Wizard of Oz (1939). Call number MS 297 Box 2. Click image to enlarge.
A young girl in a dress replacing the straw stuffing of the scarecrow.
Photo still from the Wizard of Oz (1939). Call number MS 297 Box 2. Click image to enlarge.
A young girl with two braids looking worriedly off into the distance.
Photo still from Return to Oz (1985). Call number MS 297 Box 3. Click image to enlarge.
A young girl holding a canister and riding a makeshift sleigh with a moose head attached to the front.
Photo still from Return to Oz (1985). Call number MS 297 Box 3. Click image to enlarge.

More information on Dr. Tibbetts and a peek at another one of his collections can be found in the That’s Distinctive! blog on the animated film Dinosaur. The John C. Tibbetts collection, along with all items in the library, can be viewed in the Reading Room from 10am to 4pm Monday through Friday. The library is open to the public and welcomes researchers of all types.

Tiffany McIntosh
Public Services

Tags: , , , , , ,

This entry was posted on Friday, May 5th, 2023 at 10:34 am and is filed under Special Collections, That's Distinctive. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.