All Library locations will be closed Tuesday, December 24 & Wednesday, December 25, for the Christmas holiday.
Digital History
The Library's Digital History projects provide engaging and enlightening avenues for visitors to explore the people, places and events that shaped Kansas City's history. Most of these projects involved extensive collaboration with other cultural heritage institutions in an effort to broaden the scope and depth of available collections and writings. The Library provides project oversight, web development and design as well as management for digital object collections.
KC History
Missouri Valley Special Collections.
Launched 2007. Over 20,000 images of archival material such as letters, photographs, postcards, and maps from the holdings of Missouri Valley Special Collections at the Kansas City Public Library.
Speaking of Kansas City
Discover Recorded History.
Launched 2024. Explore hundreds of oral history interviews with Kansas City residents from all walks of life. The Library partnered with eight local organizations to provide access to these video and audio recordings conducted over the last 50 years. Every recording can be played directly from the site and is accompanied by a full text transcription.
KC-1940
Journey Back to 1940.
Launched 2024. In 1940, over a period of eight months, more than 58,000 images of Kansas City structures were photographed and assembled as the 1940 Tax Assessment Photograph Collection. View buildings, homes, stores, shops, banks, schools, and parks which, all together, convey a sense of what life was like in Kansas City at that time.
The Pendergast Years
Kansas City in the Jazz Age & Great Depression, 1918-1941.
Launched 2017. Explore dozens of original articles, a timeline, maps, and thousands of digitized historical objects related to Kansas City's supposed "golden age," when Boss Tom ruled the city.
Civil War on the Western Border
The Missouri-Kansas Conflict, 1854-1865.
Launched 2013. A collaborative effort among libraries, museums, and historical societies. Access primary source materials, unique interactive features, original scholarly essays, and topical encyclopedia entries.
Kansas City Black History
Celebrating African American History in Our Community.
Launched 2021. Serving as an educational resource for learning about Kansas City’s African American community. Highlights contributions of those who left an indelible mark shaping our city and nation.
Charlie Parker's Kansas City
Explore the places where "Bird" lived, worked and played.
Launched 2021. This site represents a partnership between cultural institutions and aims to provide a geographical representation of the places that Charlie Parker frequented during his visits to Kansas City. Locations will present associated images and documents from local collections in an effort to enhance appreciation and understanding.