Browse Exhibits (49 total)
Gold Medal Club 1971
Congratulations to the Class of 1971 from each of us at the University of Kansas Libraries. To honor the golden anniversary of your graduation, KU Libraries present this digital exhibition of memorabilia from your time on the KU campus. With a variety of photographs and digitized materials from the University Archives, we hope you will be transported back in time to remember your years on the Hill.
The tabs at the top of this page will guide you through memories of student life, homecoming, commencement, and the political unrest and activism that was so impactful for our campus.
This is an online exhibit from spring 2021. The exhibit was created by Molly Herring, Associate Archivist, University Archives, Kenneth Spencer Research Library.
Women's Suffrage: The Lighter Side
When we talk about the history of the women’s suffrage movement, the narrative is often quite serious in terms of focus and tone. We read the rhetoric and arguments for and against suffrage; we learn about the struggles faced – mockery, ostracism, even imprisonment. But in the midst of all this seriousness existed publications and ephemera full of sass, humor, and wit!
Featured here is a selection of items from our collections that show the lighter side of the women’s suffrage movement. Published several years before the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, these items include satirical essays and poems, popular song parodies, and nursery rhyme re-imaginings.
This is an online exhibit from Fall 2020. The exhibit was created by Emily Beran, Public Services, Kenneth Spencer Research Library.
Gold Medal Club 1970
Congratulations to the Class of 1970 from each of us at the University of Kansas Libraries. In your honor, enjoy a digital exhibition of memorabilia from your time on the KU campus. With a variety of photographs and digitized materials from the University Archives, located in Kenneth Spencer Research Library, we hope you will be transported back in time to remember your years on the Hill.
This is an online exhibit from Spring 2020. The exhibit was created by Molly Herring, Associate Archivist, University Archivies, Kenneth Spencer Research Library.
The 1918 Influenza Epidemic at KU
The current outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID 19) has caused the University of Kansas to modify its operations by severely limiting who is on campus, and moving all course instruction online. This is not the first time that University leaders had to make difficult decisions in the interest of public health. In the fall of 1918, the University administration declared a quarantine for all students and cancelled all activities, including all instruction, as a flu epidemic swept through the city.
This is an online and expanded version of a physical exhibit that was on display in Kenneth Spencer Research Library in the fall of 2018, the 100th anniversary of the 1918 flu epidemic. The exhibit was created by Kathy Lafferty, Public Services, Kenneth Spencer Research Library.
Votes for Women: The Suffrage Movement at the University of Kansas
The credit for the success of the women’s suffrage movement in the United States seems always to go to women like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other well-known women who fill the history books. While they most certainly deserve all of the accolades given to them, much of the groundwork for equal suffrage was done at the local level. These well-organized suffrage leagues and associations were part of a national network of volunteers, all working for one common purpose. The women, and often men, in these types of small, grass-roots groups were no less passionate about suffrage for women as their more famous counterparts. This exhibit highlights just a sampling of the many women at the University who actively participated in the suffrage movement.
This is an online version of a physical exhibit that was on display in Kenneth Spencer Research Library from September through December of 2019. The exhibit was created by Kathy Lafferty, Public Services, Kenneth Spencer Research Library.
CONSERVATION SERVICES: UNSEEN HANDS
Who takes care of KU Libraries collections and what methods do they use? In this exhibit, we feature the work of the Conservation Services Department. We relish the opportunity to bring our work to the forefront and share techniques and tools that are typically unseen by most library users.
Staff in Conservation Services are responsible for caring for KU Libraries collections in all seven locations. In preserving our books, papers, photographs, audiovisual formats, and three-dimensional artifacts, we strive to make materials available for use by current and future library visitors.
Core functions of Conservation Services include:
- Monitoring the environment
- Constructing protective enclosures
- Preparing new materials for use
- Repairing and treating damaged items
- Digitizing audiovisual formats
- Constructing cradles and supports for exhibitions
- Preparing for and responding to disasters
- Training future preservation professionals
- Engaging in outreach with the campus community and beyond
Please enjoy this online exhibit that highlights our work.
Meet the Spencers: A Marriage of Arts & Sciences
No major city street is named for Kenneth or Helen Spencer in the greater Kansas City area. No statues can be found in parks for these two individuals. But if you visit many institutions in eastern Kansas and western Missouri, you might start noticing their names memorialized on plaques on buildings, in acquisition information for works of art, and in portraits on walls. Who were the people behind these names? Drawing on available materials at Spencer Research Library and other institutions, this exhibit provides a personal view of Kenneth and Helen Spencer.
This is an online version of a physical exhibit that was on display in Kenneth Spencer Research Library from January through June 2019. The exhibit was created by Caitlin Donnelly Klepper, Head of Public Services, and Marcella Huggard, Archives and Manuscripts Processing Coordinator.
The George Jenks Map Collection at the Kenneth Spencer Research Library
Professor George F. Jenks taught cartography for the University of Kansas from 1949-1986. During his tenure, Jenks established an internationally renowned cartography program which helped push the boundaries of cartographic research and design. Jenks' personal map collection contains hundreds of maps, graphics, and associated artwork that he produced for publication and in support of his research. This small exhibit highlights a few items from the collection to illustrate the scope of Jenks' career.
This is an online version of a physical exhibit that was on display in Kenneth Spencer Research Library from June through July 2018. The exhibit was created by Travis M. White, Special Collections Cartography Intern and 2018 KU graduate (Ph.D., Geography). For more information or questions, contact ksrlref@ku.edu.