While some of the following institution's materials are available online, most of the treasures are still waiting to be found in file folders and boxes, or on microform that requires a specialized viewer. Contact the institution's staff ahead of your visit for the best assistance in tracking down your articles. While librarians, archivists, and museum curators welcome phone calls and emails, nothing can replace the experience of holding the same documents and artifacts as did others decades or even centuries ago.
The Kansas Room: The Kansas Collection gathers and protects the shared heritage of Kansas City, Kansas. Virtually every newspaper printed in Kansas City, Kansas is available in some form here, including some school newspapers. Open hours are limited, so setting an appointment may be your best access option.
Black Archives of Mid-America: The Black Archives is a non-profit organization that serves the community by offering itself as an educational resource as well as a repository of every facet in African American culture; music, art , theater, education, the military, medicine, sports, religion and community affairs. The Black Archives was expressly created by social historian Horace M. Peterson III to collect and preserve the history of African Americans in the Midwest.
Missouri Valley Special Collections: The Missouri Valley Special Collections (MVSC) consist of the non-circulating local history and genealogy resources of the Kansas City Public Library as well as the Library’s archives. Its mission is to preserve our area’s heritage and provide access in meaningful ways to the collections and materials.
Kenneth Spencer Research Library: For more than 50 years, librarians and archivists have focused on building outstanding collections of primary sources, ranging from the documents of ordinary life in Kansas, to stunning illuminated manuscripts and groundbreaking works of speculative fiction, to vibrant images from the university’s past.
Kansas Historical Society Archives: The Historical Society has served as the State Record Archives since 1905 as well as a repository for photos, films, audio recordings, diaries, and artifacts representing the people and places of Kansas. Holdings include inactive unpublished records of state government with enduring historical value.