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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.

Throwback Thursday: Study Session Edition

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!

Good luck, Jayhawks, on final exams next week!

Photograph of a student studying, 1970-1971

A KU student studying, 1970-1971. University Archives Photos.
Call Number: RG 56/0 1970-1971 Prints: Housing (Photos).
Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).

You can find additional photos of KU students studying in a previous blog post from 2014.

Caitlin Donnelly
Head of Public Services

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2 Responses to “Throwback Thursday: Study Session Edition”

Didn’t the original library have a first floor ceiling as high as the main windows. Do you have a photo
When did the change occur.

Thank you for your comment.

The University of Kansas Library began with the opening of the University in 1866, and was located in several buildings, including Old Fraser and Spooner Hall, until its current location in Watson Library in 1924.

Over the years, Watson Library has undergone a number of physical changes to the original structure. As noted, the Watson Library did originally have a large, high-ceilinged reading room. A renovation project in 1964 added a mezzanine to the space. This secondary level was enlarged, and balconettes were added to the edges in a 1981 construction project.

There is an image in the University Archives digital collection (luna.ku.edu) entitled “Students Studying at the Library” from 1939 that captures the expansive reading room with the windows and the high ceiling. URL of image:
https://luna.ku.edu/luna/servlet/s/81cuk7

Stacey Wiens
Reference Specialist, Public Services
Spencer Research Library