The University of Kansas Libraries

Materials documenting history of gays in Midwest donated to KU

A Wichita man has given more than 160 boxes of materials documenting the history of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transexuals in the Midwest to the Spencer Research Library at the University of Kansas.

Bruce McKinney collected magazines, pamphlets, underground newsletters and other items for nearly 35 years before meeting Tami Albin, undergraduate instruction and outreach librarian at KU. Albin interviewed McKinney for a project titled “Under the Rainbow: Oral Histories of GLBTIQ People in Kansas.”

“I did a four-hour interview with Bruce and his depth of knowledge was phenomenal,” Albin said. “He showed me his collection and he remembered the details behind every single piece.”

Albin said that many of the items in the collection gave insight into the experience of the gay community in the Midwest.

“It was hard for him to have 35 years of his life taken away in boxes,” she said. “He was very generous and trusted the Spencer to give these items a home where they would be taken care of. This addition could potentially put us on the map for GLBT materials in the Midwest.”

McKinney agreed it was difficult to relinquish the materials, but said he thought the Spencer Research Library was the best place for it.

“Much of the material brought back many memories of many people,” McKinney said. “It was like letting a child go; I let it grow until I couldn’t take care of it anymore and now I have to let someone else take care of it.”

McKinney cited the city of Lawrence’s history with gay rights as a major force behind his decision.

“Lawrence had the first gay organization in the state and the KU campus has one of the better gay student organizations,” he said. “It really is a little blue dot in a red state.”

Sherry Williams, curator of the Spencer Research Library, said the collection would make a great addition to the library’s Kansas Collection, which covers Kansas history from statehood to the present.

“It strengthens the holdings we already have,” she said. “It is also one of the largest gifts of its kind we’ve ever received. Bruce has really done a lot for researchers by handing this over to our university.”

The items are being held in storage until cataloguing is completed.

Contact: Rebecca Smith, KU LIbraries, (785) 864-1761.