From the time the University of Kansas opened its doors to students in September 1866, there has been a library at KU. At first, the library consisted of “Congressional books” donated by Kansas’ Congressional delegation. Today, KU Libraries consists of six branches that contain over 5.5 million items. However, for the last century, Watson Library has served as the cornerstone for not only KU Libraries, but for the KU Lawrence campus.
The lack of adequate space in KU’s original stand-alone library, now Spooner Hall, was the motivation for the building of Watson Library. It took eight years to secure the funding, and by the time it officially opened on September 11, 1924, the need for even more space was apparent. The first change made to Watson came in 1936 when the front steps were finally completed. Subsequent renovations have been undertaken to not only address the need for additional stack space, but to accommodate the rising population of students and faculty and changing technology. The increases in library staff to meet campus needs and advances in librarianship have also required additional space.
The addition of the west wing in 1949-1950 accommodated the growing library staff and provide much needed space for the Accessioning and Preparation (Cataloging) Departments and an Administrative suite. At the same time, the eastern bookstacks were expanded and a sixth reading room created to address the growing needs and numbers of students. Library Dean Rober Vosper’s successful campaign to address the inadequacy of the Libraries’ research collections resulted in the need for yet another addition, the east wing, in 1964. This addition allowed for books held in most departmental libraries and other storage places across campus, including under Memorial Stadium, to be housed in Watson.
Over the years, renovations have removed the last remnants of the Gothic architecture inside of Watson to make way for microform readers, computer terminals, and additional study and office areas. However, these changes have also transformed Watson Library into a place for the entire campus community to gather, study, and learn from one another, cementing its place as a campus cornerstone.
Letha E. Johnson,
This is an online version of a physical exhibit that was on display in Kenneth Spencer Research Library during the Fall semester of 2024. The exhibit was created by Letha Johnson, University Archivist; Molly Herring, Associate University Archivist; Meredith Phares, Operations Manager; and Caitlin Klepper, Head of Public Services. Contact Letha Johnson with questions.
Please also see Watson Library’s First 100 Years for information about events and celebrations.
