KU to be featured in Association of Research Libraries' anniversary compilation

As a part of its seventy-fifth anniversary year, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) plans to create a print and electronic publication. The production will represent the depth and breadth of the special collections held by its 123 member institutions, including the Spencer Research Library at KU.

KU's section will be devoted to the Pennell Collection, which includes more than 30,000 glass plate negatives that represent the life work of Joseph J. Pennell, a successful commercial studio photographer who worked in Junction City, Kansas, from the early 1890s to the early 1920s. It provides a comprehensive view of life in a moderately sized Midwestern army post town on the Great Plains at the turn of the last century.

The Pennell Collection, compelling because of its scope, depth and the very high quality of Pennell's photographic skill, provides the researcher with an opportunity to view life at a time of great change in the United States.

The collection was chosen for the ARL anniversary compendium because of its rare and unique qualities as well as the important role it plays in research.