Hidden within the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is one of Kansas City’s most unexpected resources: the Spencer Art Reference Library. Despite living in Kansas City my entire life, I had no idea this public art library existed.
Open to everyone, the Spencer Art Reference Library Nelson-Atkins is both a research center and a welcoming space for artists, students, and curious visitors. To learn more, I spoke with Amelia Nelson, Director of Library and Archives, and Stephanie Lawrence, who works in public services and public programs.
A Library with a Dual Mission
Founded in 1933, the Spencer Art Reference Library has grown alongside the Nelson-Atkins Museum. Originally built from William Rockhill Nelson’s personal library, it now supports both museum staff and the public — a rare dual mission among art libraries.
Today, it provides art research resources for curators and educators while welcoming anyone interested in learning more about art.
What the Library Covers
Because the Nelson-Atkins is an encyclopedic museum, the library reflects the full history of visual art, from ancient cultures through contemporary practice. Its scope spans cultures, time periods, and artistic traditions.
What visitors see in the reading room represents just 2% of the total collection, of the 280,000 volumes in the collection.
Open to Everyone
The Spencer Art Reference Library is not just for academics. Anyone can walk in, explore the space, and request materials.
The collection includes:
- Print and digital resources
- Artist files, especially strong in Kansas City artists
- Special collections with rare and unique materials
With more than 4,000 items in special collections — including medieval manuscripts, rare photography books, and contemporary works — the library offers access to materials most people never realize they can see.
Rotating Displays & Featured Highlights
The library’s display cases rotate every three to four months, often extending museum exhibitions or spotlighting hidden gems.
Recent and current highlights include:
- Modernism in Print, featuring 20th-century journals and magazines with original lithographs by artists like Alexander Calder and Henri Matisse
- Elemental Reflections, showcasing contemporary Japanese artists and extending themes from the exhibition Water Embodied
These displays offer new ways to engage with works that may not be on view in the galleries.
Hidden Treasures Program
The library offers a variety of programs, including Hidden Treasures, a monthly drop-in program held on the first Saturday of the month.
Each session features rarely seen materials from the collection, such as medieval manuscripts, early photography books, Joseph Albers’s Interaction of Color, and rare 19th-century publications. A standout example is an 1867 pamphlet by Émile Zola defending Édouard Manet’s Olympia, later depicted in Manet’s portrait of Zola.
Medieval Manuscripts & Early Printing
The Karen Gould Collection anchors the library’s medieval holdings. Donated as a teaching collection, it includes books of hours, illuminated manuscript pages, and early printed leaves.
Highlights include a calendar page of feast days, a leaf from The Canterbury Tales printed by William Caxton — the first printer in England — and a 15th-century illumination of St. Eustace. Some pieces show water damage, allowing discussions around conservation and the survival of fragile works.
Why It’s Worth Visiting
The Spencer Library is one of the Nelson-Atkins’ best-kept secrets. Through rotating displays, hands-on programs, and open access to remarkable materials, it invites visitors to slow down, look closer, and discover stories beyond the gallery walls.
Whether you’re an artist, a student, or simply curious, the Spencer Library is well worth the visit.