Status of ITS resources
Special Collections is committed to enhancing and expanding all its collections in continued support of its teaching, learning and academic research community. There are over a million items in the collection which range from manuscripts, archival records, rare books, photographs, recordings, and ephemera.
From the personal papers of blues legend Jimmy Rogers to composer Gail Kubik, from science fiction and fantasy to children’s literature, we hold a wide range of materials with artistic, literary, and historical value.
Learn more about the Arts, Culture, and the Humanities collection.
The Cookery Collection is one of the top research collections of its kind in the United States. It contains thousands of cookbooks and related volumes that date from 1487 to the present.
The Consumer Movement Archives (CMA) was established in 1987 through the initiative of Richard L.D. Morse, a prominent leader in the consumer movement and Kansas State University professor. Broadly defined, the consumer movement consists of individuals and organizations that advocate for the rights and welfare of consumers, especially when those rights are violated by corporations and governments.
Kansas history, Westward expansion, agriculture, and rural life are integral to K-State’s identity. We collect documents, papers, and institutional archives that are of importance to the region’s economy and culture.
Learn more about the Kansas Life and Culture collection.
The Morse Department of Special Collections is home to the university archives, which is responsible for preserving and making available documentation of the history of Kansas State University, including institutional records, student organizations, student life and culture, faculty contributions, and other affiliated organizations.
Learn more about the University Archives.
The Military History Collection includes major gifts from dozens of individuals – many of them K-State graduates – that document U.S. conflicts from before the Civil War through the present day.
These stories, specially chosen from the collection, provide a look into the large body of material Special Collections contains and highlight some of its strengths.
Clementine Paddleford
This collection highlights the life of Clementine Paddleford, a Kansas native and K-State alum who was an internationally-known food writer and critic during the 1920s-1960s.
Delta Chapter 1917-1935
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. established their first chapter west of the Mississippi at Kansas State Agricultural College (KSAC). The college’s racially mixed campus became home to the Delta Chapter on April 9, 1917.
Lt. Marjorie Honstead, Experiences in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in WWII
Lt. Marjorie Honstead (1920–2006), was part of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. during World War II. The collection documents the years Lt. Honstead served in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps.
Minnie Howell, K-State's First Black Female Graduate
Minnie M. Howell was the first black woman to graduate from Kansas State Agricultural College (KSAC) in 1901.
