Exterior of the North Gallery at Spencer Research Library.

Kenneth Spencer Research Library

We welcome everyone to discover stories from KU, Kansas, and around the world within Spencer's remarkable and diverse collections. Here you can encounter rare and unique items ranging from 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablets to more than one million historical photographs of KU.

Video Introduction

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Location, Parking, and Accessibility

Get details about finding the library on KU's Lawrence campus.

Aeon Login

You need a current user account in our online system, Aeon, to access collections on-site at Spencer.

Spencer Collections

Find information about, and digitized surrogates of, materials in a variety of places.

Citation Guide

Get help citing Spencer materials, especially archival collections, using APA, MLA, and Chicago styles.

Current Hours

January 21-May 18

Building and Exhibits

  • Monday-Friday: 9am - 5pm
  • Saturday: 9am - 1pm
  • Sunday: Closed

Reading Room (In-Person Research)

  • Monday-Friday: 10am - 4pm
  • Saturday: 9am - 12:30pm
  • Sunday: Closed

Requests for collection materials are accepted until 30 minutes before the Reading Room closes.

Exceptions

  • Sat., Mar. 15: Closed, KU Spring Break
  • Sat., Mar. 22: Closed, KU Spring Break
  • Sat., May 17: Closed, KU Summer Break
North facade of Spencer Research Library in the background with branches of pink flowers in the foreground.

New at Spencer Research Library

A section of handwritten text next to a large heart pierced by an arrow.

Upcoming Event

Join us for a curator talk marking the opening of Spencer's new exhibit, "Marvelous Medieval Marginalia." March 8 at 10am.
This image has the text of the exhibit title, "Marvelous Medieval Marginalia: Drawings, Doodles and Notes on the Edges of Readers' Imagination."

Spring-Summer 2025 Exhibit

Explore medieval manuscripts that readers annotated centuries ago with doodles and notes. Open in the Exhibit Space until July 15.
Exterior of a box of archival records.

New Online Finding Aids

Discover what the manuscripts processing team has been up to! Explore their list of new finding aids published in 2024.

2024 Spencer Snapshot

708
in-person researchers in the Reading Room
45%
of in-person researchers who are KU undergraduate and graduate students
81
tours and events for campus, K-12, community, national, and international groups
149
instruction sessions for KU classes, reaching more than 1,600 students