The Early Years of Kenneth Spencer Research Library

In November 1968, the University of Kansas celebrated the dedication and opening of the new Kenneth Spencer Research Library. It was the culmination of a project that had started over seven years earlier and the result of a year of intensive planning by KU Libraries, multiple other campus units, KU Endowment, Helen Spencer, and the Kenneth A. and Helen F. Spencer Foundation. For more information, see the online exhibition "Meet the Spencers: A Marriage of Arts and Sciences."
Black-and-white photograph of white wooden buildings built to surround a domed Quonset hut.
Black-and-white photograph of students sitting at long tables on either side of a middle walkway. Lights hang down from the domed ceiling.
Black-and-white photograph of the KU campus, specifically the area between Strong Hall and the Campanile.
Black-and-white photograph of buildings in the process of being torn down; the ground around them is covered in rubble.
Black-and-white photograph of a large empty area behind Strong Hall and the Campanile. A small pile of rubble sits in the corner on the left.
Black-and-white photograph of the library foundation and a partial wall. A crane rises above the trees and the Campanile is prominent in the background.
Black-and-white photograph of exterior work nearing completion. The library structure is largely built, but the terrace has not been started.
Black-and-white photograph of library walls being built. The facade is not yet present. A crane rises above the trees, and a cement truck drives by.
Black-and-white photograph of the terrace being built in layers and held up by temporary posts. Behind, the library building looks complete.
Black-and-white photograph of a construction crew working on a small terrace attached to Strong Hall. A truck is parked on the street below.
Black-and-white photograph of two people rolling a cart of books. Empty shelves are visible behind them.
Black-and-white photograph of two men with their backs to the camera, standing behind a desk hanging a painting – a short ladder between them.
Black-and-white photograph of a woman standing behind a desk and opening a book.
Black-and-white photograph of people standing on the library terrace facing a speaker at a podium on the library's front steps.
Black-and-white photograph of the crowd at the dedication, taken from behind the speaker at the podium and facing the terrace and Strong Hall.
Black-and-white photograph of two men and a woman standing together and smiling.
People walking around a room with large office desks and a wall of bookshelves.
Black-and-white photograph of tables, chairs, and bookcases in the old Reading Room. Two researchers sit at tables viewing books propped up and open on stands.