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Special Collections
Z Collection

F. 96 recto from Vitae et Sententiae Philosophorum by Diogenes Laertius (1497). Device of Benedictus Fontana. The image, enclosed in a single-line frame, is flanked at the top by B F, the initials of the commissioner of this book.  The fountain is a visual pun on the name Fontana in the tradition of a rebus, where a word is represented by an object with a similar name.The Z Collection contains rare and limited edition books, and a number of other smaller collections (ex: Suzanne Statland Collection on Holocaust Studies). Music special materials such as 19th century hymnals, Latin psalters, singing school songbooks, and Lowell Mason imprints also are housed with the Z Collection. The material in this collection spans over six centuries, from the fourteenth century to the twentieth. Researchers in music, art history, history of the book as an object, Holocaust Studies, history of printing, and literature (particularly European) will find this collection valuable.

Material in the Collection can be accessed through the online catalog of the University of Missouri, MERLIN (using this link will open a new browser window). There is material in the Collection that has not yet been cataloged. Photocopying (completed by departmental staff) is permitted but is subject to the condition of the material and the approval of the Special Collections Librarian.


Special Collections is a non-circulating and non-browsing resource center. The Special Collections Reading Room is open to researchers Monday through Friday during the academic year. Public service hours for the current semester are listed at http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col-about/hours but researchers are encouraged to call ahead for verification of hours due to University intersessions and other events. Special Collections is located on the fourth floor of the Miller Nichols Library at 5100 Rockhill Road in Kansas City, Missouri. All inquiries concerning access to the collections should be addressed to Special Collections Library Information Specialists Teresa Gipson or Kelly McEniry.

Teresa Gipson
Special Collections Library Information Specialist
Miller Nichols Library
5100 Rockhill Rd
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 235-1532
Teresa Gipson
Fax (816) 333-5584
Kelly McEniry
Special Collections Library Information Specialist
Miller Nichols Library
5100 Rockhill Rd
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 235-1532
Kelly McEniry
Fax (816) 333-5584
Return to Collection Descriptions

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June 3, 2002