KU Today: KU archivist’s work brings past to present

Schulte charged with maintaining 'the memory of the university'

For Kansas University archivist Becky Schulte, the millions of photographs, documents and artifacts making up the KU archives can serve varied purposes — but there’s one that stands out.

“It serves as the memory of the university,” Schulte said.

Schulte, who has been the University Archivist since 2003, is the third person to hold the position at KU — her uncle, John Nugent, was the first. Schulte said her career with the KU libraries began in 1973, when as a 19-year-old she worked as a student assistant.

“I’d always loved libraries, so working in a library was always a thing I wanted to do,” she said.

Becky Schulte

Schulte graduated from KU in 1976 with a degree in humanities and received an M.A. in library science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1982. Schulte previously worked as head of reader services at KU Spencer Research Library and the assistant curator of the Kansas Collection.

The KU archives, established in 1969, is the repository for records and artifacts that document the history of KU.

Making connections from the current day to the past is one of the important functions of the archives, Schulte said.

The archives include seven collections: athletics, campus buildings, chancellors, faculty, photographs, records management and student life.

Of all the material, Schulte said looking at the old photographs of the students is the most enjoyable for her. Those photographs make you realize that there is a shared university experience that spans the decades, she said.

“It’s eye-opening,” Schulte added. “It’s really interesting to see the similarities of students today and students 125 years ago.”

For instance, in the early 1900’s, Schulte said it was popular for students to make scrapbooks, some of which are held in the archives.

“They’re like today’s Facebook pages,” she said.

Schulte also enjoys the archives’ unique artifacts and doing research, be it searching out reference information for the labeling of items, or helping others to research and locate materials.

“I like mysteries and finding things,” Schulte said, noting that some people will come in with just the name of an ancestor, wanting to find out more about them.

As part of the library system, Schulte said, the archives serve students and faculty from all departments.

“I really feel like we’re the heart of the University — almost everyone here touches the library,” Schulte said.