UMKC Libraries

04/15/2026

Archive established for Stand Up KC

03/10/2026

The Digital Projects department at UMKC Libraries received a seed grant from the Missouri Humanities Council to bring the world-renowned Edgar Snow Collection online. This collection is one of the largest and most requested collections from UMKC University Archives both locally and internationally. Very soon, our digitization work will be made available for public use!

So, who is Edgar Snow? Those who have been to Special Collections & Archives on the 3rd floor of the library will notice a reading nook with a portrait of a man in his late 50s. That man is none other than Edgar Snow (1905-1972), a Kansas City journalist who worked diligently to report key and timely news from China during his career. Besides journalism, Snow also wrote the book “Red Star Over China” (1937) in which he recounted his trip to the new headquarters of the Red Army in Shaanxi after their “Long March,” providing valuable insights into the lives of Chinese Communists and the reality of the Chinese revolution that were obscure to the West during that time. Snow was the first Western journalist to enter this highly restricted area and interviewed many of the Chinese Communist Party’s leaders. These accounts were noted in his diaries and correspondence, a portion of which are scheduled to be published later this month.

Snow faced much backlash due to the nature of his work; however, his legacy is remembered by Americans and Chinese alike. Written on his gravestone in Peking University is the line “An American Friend of the Chinese People.”

Our Snow Fellow Anh Vo has been working to scan and describe roughly 4000 items in the Edgar Snow Papers, including parts of his correspondence, diaries, and photographs. Only 13% of Snow’s researchers can make it to the library to access the collection in person, increasing the need for digitization, and now we are happy to say that the project is rolling into reality.

Follow along as we share about the digitization process, behind-the-scenes, storytelling time with Snow, and more!

Images: Edgar Snow Collection, University Archives, University of Missouri-Kansas City.

02/04/2026

This is the title page of Antigüedades Mexicanas, one of sixteen facsimile Mesoamerican codices we have at the library in UMKC LaBudde Special Collections & University Archives. Two of our codices are currently on display at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in the featured exhibition Painted Worlds: Color and Culture in Mesoamerican Art! Join us on Friday, February 6, 2026 from 5:00-6:15 pm to view the collection of facsimiles on display in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room. The viewing and reception precede a 6:30 pm lecture in the adjacent building, part of the two-day Painted Worlds Symposium on Mesoamerican Art co-organized by UMKC, UMKC School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

12/19/2025

Country Christmas Greetings! This winter holiday season we're sharing behind-the-scenes photos and video from the day our UMKC Marr Sound Archives got all dressed up for Christmas in September.

However you celebrate, we're wishing you a peaceful winter break with comforting music and movies, from everyone at the UMKC Libraries.

Happy Holidays from the UMKC Libraries

09/11/2025

Our shiny new fourth floor spaces!! Have you visited?

07/09/2025

The application deadline for our two open Special Collections & Archives positions has been extended to July 27. Apply to join our team!

Hi all! Our priority consideration date for the Assistant Dean of Special Collections & Archives and the Head of LaBudde Special Collections positions has been extended to Sunday, July 27, 11:50pm.
Assistant Dean of Special Collections & Archives: https://library.umkc.edu/jobs/ad-sca/
Head of LaBudde Special Collections: https://library.umkc.edu/jobs/head-lsc/

06/25/2025

We're hiring for a curious and collaborative person to join us as a Teaching and Learning Librarian! This position will contribute to library instruction and reference in support of the School of Education, Social Work and Psychological Sciences. The priority application deadline is July 6, 2025. Full details and application instructions: https://library.umkc.edu/jobs/tll-seswps

06/24/2025

Hi all! We're now recruiting for the Assistant Dean for Special Collections and Archives (SCA)!

Join the team at UMKC Libraries! We are seeking an experienced, seasoned leader to serve as our Assistant Dean of Special Collections and Archives, serving as part of the Deans’ Leadership Group and providing focused leadership and operations oversight for the Special Collections and Archives (SCA) Division that includes UMKC Marr Sound Archives, LaBudde Special Collections, UMKC University Archives, Digital Projects, and UMKC Libraries’ Cataloging and Resource Management. The anticipated hiring range for this position is $75,000-$100,000, plus an excellent retirement/benefits package. View details about an informational webinar, the full posting, and application instructions here: https://library.umkc.edu/jobs/ad-sca/

Photo Caption: The first student body of the University of Kansas City in front of Scofield Hall, October 1, 1933, UMKC University Archives.

06/24/2025

Hi all! We're now recruiting for the Head of LaBudde Special Collections (LSC)!

Join the team at UMKC Libraries! We are seeking an experienced leader to serve as our Head of LaBudde Special Collections (LSC), responsible for the direction, responsible for the direction and setting priorities for a wide range of departmental work related to managing access, processing, preservation, and maintenance of collections, and supervising faculty and staff, in the Kenneth J. LaBudde Department of Special Collections and Archives. The anticipated hiring range for this position is $57,500-$90,000, plus an excellent retirement/benefits package. View details about an informational webinar, the full posting, and application instructions here: https://library.umkc.edu/jobs/head-lsc/

Photo Caption: Students studying in the student lounge at Scofield Hall, circa 1940-1959, UMKC University Archives.

06/13/2025

It's Pride month and as the home of GLAMA, the Gay and Le***an Archive of Mid-America, we're proud to display this ceramic mosaic sharing images from Kansas City's LGBTQIA+ history in our Special Collections and Archives Reading Room! The Reading Room is open by appointment in the summer, so reach out to UMKC LaBudde Special Collections & University Archives schedule your visit to the mosaic and ask about GLAMA tours and research opportunities.

06/02/2025

We’re open for business! After being closed for a year to undergo a complete transformation, the fourth floor of Miller Nichols Library is now open with new spaces for academic success and mentoring programs, and newly renovated study areas. Find all 13 programs now located on the fourth floor of the library and more details here: https://library.umkc.edu/fourth-floor

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