Annual Review '25-26: Hands on history
Sustained student collaborations create lasting access to collections, spark scholarship in Conservation Services at Spencer Research Library.
Positive progress with glass plate negatives
Some puzzles have missing pieces. Others have pieces from an entirely different puzzle mixed in. This year’s Ringle Conservation Intern, Richard “Ricky” Godsil III, tackled the complex challenge of separating confused and comingled collections of glass plate negatives from two photographers in the Kansas Collection. With careful research and conservation work, Godsil labeled, rehoused, and “deconfused” 3,225 items, carefully considering where each piece of the puzzle belonged. The work ultimately inspired the focus of Godsil’s master’s thesis in museum studies.
Combining detective work with conservation practices, Godsil also increased the accessibility and discoverability of more than 3,600 items in the historic Hannah Scott collection. Working with the glass plate negatives of the pioneering photographer from Independence, Kansas, Godsil researched names, locations, and military affiliations associated with the photographs that offer a glimpse into life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The added context will eventually be part of a fully discoverable online finding aid, helping to make the collection more useful and searchable for researchers, genealogists, and future scholars.
The stuff of campus history
Brenna Hobbs got to hold pieces of university history in her hands — and help ensure their stories remain accessible for generations to come. As a Graduate Assistant in Conservation Services, Hobbs focused on improving the management and preservation of three-dimensional archival objects. From Jayhawk statues to the glass tube used to create the first laboratory-produced sample of helium and much more, Hobbs compiled a detailed item-level inventory of more than 1,500 objects in the University Archives, making the items more discoverable by library users. She also helped create practical systems for organizing and protecting the unique materials, generating original scholarship as part of her capstone project in museum studies. The project will have lasting impact, improving future access to collections, and the preservation of campus history.
“It definitely renewed my KU pride, for sure,” Hobbs said of the project. “I've gotten very familiar with the evolution of the Jayhawk and all of its various iterations. Walking around campus, all of the buildings are named after different people and I'm like, ‘Oh, I dealt with their stuff.’”
The curious case of “poison books”
Some historic books are more than fragile — they may also carry traces of toxic materials. Reece Wohlford, a May 2026 graduate with a bachelor's degree in English, played a key role in KU Libraries’ participation in the Poison Book Project, an international research initiative examining heavy metals in 19th century book collections. Participating institutions test books for substances like arsenic, mercury, or lead, sometimes used in pigments or bindings. The work helps protect staff and library users, while deepening the understanding of historic collections.
Wohlford worked in the lab mending books and making protective housings for about a year and a half before taking on the special project, under the careful mentorship of Head of Conservation Services Whitney Baker.
“We’re learning things every day, which is really fun,” Wohlford said. Having been very protective of books since childhood, Wohlford said discovering conservation services as a real career path “sounded like a dream.”
This story first appeared in KU Libraries 2025-26 Annual Review, a publication that reviews accomplishments of the past year and provides a glimpse of priorities moving forward. See this story and discover more in the full issue via the downloadable pdf.