April 4 – May 16, 2008
Cotter Hirschberg Room
Sabatini Gallery 

View the exhibit online:
Art at the Library

This exhibit traces the history of art collecting at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, shows examples of some of the first purchases and display spaces, and underscores the visionary role the Library has played, since its conception, in valuing art and arts education in a public library context. Curator: Zan Popp

On November 1, 2007, the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library dedicated the Dr. Phillip and Betty Baker Genealogy Center. The dedication honored a gift to The Library Foundation of $100,000 by the Bakers to ensure that the community has 21st-century resources for genealogy and family history research.

The Baker gift will enhance library services by bringing in genealogical experts for programming, upgrading technology, and providing enhancements to the print, electronic,...

The Topeka Room has the full set of Shawnee County Historical Society Bulletins from 1946 to the present. An index of the bulletins is available here.

The Topeka Room maintains files on the history of Topeka and Shawnee County. A list of vertical file subject headings is available here.

These files include newspaper clippings, photographs, postcards, programs, and other ephemera.

The Topeka Room has a collection of Garlinghouse Home Plan catalogs and blueprints that cover a range of home styles from bungalows to colonials to "kamp kabins". Garlinghouse was founded in Topeka in 1907 and continues to produce ready-to-order home plans and blueprints from their offices in Chantilly, Virginia.

The Topeka Room has Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps dating from 1913-1955. Earlier editions are available online with a Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library card here.

These large-scale maps may be used to estimate the date of construction for a home, the type of construction (frame, brick, etc.), how many stories the building had, whether there were any other structures on the property, property boundaries, and the use of the structure.

The Topeka Room has an extensive collection of Topeka city directories dating from 1870 to the present. These directories can be helpful in establishing the year a house was built, as well as the names and occupations of previous residents.

After 1924, homes are indexed by address as well as last name. Prior to 1924, the surname of the resident must be known in order to access address and occupation information.

These directories are available online:
Topeka City...

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