Founded in 1969 with the first installment of an annual gift from an alumnus, Larry Friesen, and built almost entirely by gifts (both materials and funds), the Department's collection of science fiction is one of its most rapidly growing. Prof. James E. Gunn (head of the KU Center for the Study of Science Fiction) has not only supported the collection by generous gifts of books and periodicals but has persuaded others to support it as well. It is through his efforts that the Department became the North American repository for World SF (the organization of overseas science fiction writers and publishers, which has presented us with science fiction from Europe, Latin America, Israel, the Far East and the British Commonwealth), the official repository for the archives of the Science Fiction Research Association, and one of the official recipients of new science fiction from the Science Fiction Writers of America. He is also largely responsible for our acquisition of many deposits and gifts from other science fiction writers.

Notable accessions have been the John Ryley collection, particularly notable for its very strong holdings of science fiction periodicals dating from the 1920's to the mid-50's, the donation of a large portion of the library of P. Schuyler Miller, long-time book review editor for Astounding (now known as Analog), the bequest of Richard Delap's library, a large gift from Lloyd Currey, and several hundred oral history tapes from the Science Fiction Oral History Association. In addition, frequent gifts of paperbacks and magazines are received from local collectors of fantasy and science fiction.

In 1965 the Library received by bequest the library of James H. Stewart. Mr. Stewart, one of the founding members of the Wichita Bibliophiles, was particularly interested in fantasy fiction and the Stewart Collection includes most of the novels and short stories of Arthur Machen and a fine run of the fantasy magazine Weird Tales as well as a valuable collection of bibliography and modern fine printing.