Linda Hall Library

Most years, the Arboretum on the grounds of Linda Hall Library at UMKC is a lovely place to see peonies, Iris, roses, bridal wreath/Spirea, and the inelegantly named Horse Chestnut trees blooming in early May. But we didn't get there early enough this year to see them in full glory. Also, probably due to the fact that there is construction happening on the grounds, and the drought, this was not a great year for any these plants. Still, this is one of my favorite places, along with a Kauffman Gardens, and Loose Park, to go in the Spring to be wowed by the bounty and beauty of flowering plants. And Horse Chestnut trees are actually quite spectacular in full bloom!

It continues to amaze me that Kansas City has so many world-class institutions; and Linda Hall Library is one of them. My first visit was today just a few days after a long Covid closure. The building and grounds are beautiful and compliment the UMKC campus and the antiquities within.The library has the largest collect of privately owned books and manuscripts related to science and engineering in the world. I was able to see an exhibit today on Moroccan book making - or using goat skin as a binder. With a collection dating back to 1472, I was able to see original printings of books by Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton and Johannes Kepler! AMAZING!They also have a Cosmology theater that is waiting to re-open and feature video feeds from the James Webb telescope.I am not a scientist, engineer or researcher and have no need for ever actually using the collection, but to know that this little fly-over cow town houses such important works truly makes me proud of being a Kansas Citian. If you have any passion or science, books, history or Kansas City, make sure you pay Linda Hall Library a visit.

Five plus, plus, plus stars!!!If you love old books and science history, this is a MUST VISIT stop on a trip to KCMO. I came here while in town because I'd read in a travel magazine that the library has a wonderful rare, old book collection. Sold! It was my most delightful experience of the week! I started out getting a library card (took about five minutes max) during which I asked where I could see the collection of old science books. I was told the librarian was at lunch but that I would be able to see the vault in any case.I mosied my way to the lower level by way of the first floor display and the cosmology theater. The theater was showing some AMAZING images and facts on the Hubble Space Telescope. I loved it. But, the best surprise was still to come! When I got to the room that houses the rare and old book vault, I was wandering around to get a good look when the librarian came over. I was telling her how I had made the last minute stop at the library while en route to the airport after I'd read they had several priceless original print science books. Seeing my excitement, she asked of I'd like to see a few of the highlights. !!!! x 1,000I then had to wash my hands and I PAGED THROUGH AN ORIGINAL COPERNICUS! I'll be honest, I was so excited, I cried. No shame on my book and science loving game.I also had the pleasure of paging through a very old (1600s?) atlas. The paintings and depictions were gorgeous.All in all, I love this library and feel extremely fortunate to have met a few of the outstanding professionals that work here (as well as some of the best books in the collection)!

We are beyond lucky to have this treasure in Kansas City. They have amazing lectures and out of this world exhibits. World renowned. Excellent parking. Unheard of collection of famous books! You must visit! Go to their website and, if nothing else, check out their events page. Because of them I have made world famous Astrophysics and others. They elevate our community without a doubt and have a staff that believes in what they do.

What a super cool place! The Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering, & Technology, located at 5109 Cherry Street on the University of Missouri Kansas City campus, is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p..m., FREE of charge!The library sits in the middle of a gorgeous 14-acre Arboretum. Explore it on your own, or take the guided tour on Wednesday at 10:45 a.m., or by appointment.The library specializes in collections of books, journals, monographs, etc. on science, engineering, and technology. Most of the materials are in open stacks for your easy access. Comfortable reading areas are scattered around the building. (No food is permitted, but you may have your drink in a closed container, according to a small sign on at least one of the tables I saw.) Search their computers for publications, etc. on your subject matter of interest. (I read a neat book about edible plants. It seems that a LOT more is edible than I ever thought!)Antique and rare books, some dating back to the 15th century, are housed in a closed department on the lower level, but may be brought to the department's reading room for your perusal upon approval of your request. Researchers may view materials in a separate reading room. The staff members in this area are very friendly and helpful, so don't be afraid to ask for assistance. Individuals don't need an appointment, but groups and/or classes do!Special exhibits are fascinating! The current one (August 2010) is: "Thinking Outside the Sphere: Views of the Stars From Aristotle to Herschel." You'll marvel at the beautiful, intricate illustrations from ancient tomes.To see what you missed out on in previous exhibits, click the Exhibitions button at http://www.lhl.lib.mo.us/index.shtml to view the online exhibits. (Also, the above website will tell you everything you need to know about Linda Hall Library! Be sure to read the Library Rules and Regulations, found on the green bar at the bottom of any page)!I especially enjoyed the online exhibits, "Women's Work: Portraits of 12 Scientific Illustrators From the 17th to the 21st Century," and "Vulcan's Forge and Fingal's Cave". Oh, yeah ... and "The Grandeur of Life - A Celebration of Charles Darwin and the 'Origin of Species'."Although a fascinating place, this is NOT a library for young children! Students in their teens, and aduts alike, will enjoy the stunning high-definition audio/visual presentations from NASA and the Hubble Telescope, etc. that show in the Cosmology Theater on the lower level. Most presentations are about 10 minutes long, and run consecutively, and continually during library hours. You are welcome to come and go as you please. You'll be in awe of the views of earth, and of deep space. When my hubby said he wanted to take me here, I expected to be bored out of my mind. Instead, it was one of the most entertaining, educational, enjoyable afternoons I've had in years! I can't recommend it highly enough!

I come here to study. Its a private library and they have their own cards. Its quite quiet. Students come here to study and there are the older gentlemen that frequent this place. I like it as it is a safe and good place to study. You can go piss and leave your stuff at the table and no one is gonna try take your crap. Then you avoid the awkward situation where you have to explain to the librarians why this person is on the floor bleeding beside the table you are studying at. The employees are nice. They have a entire post grad fellowship program you can apply for. If you do apply for anything do not do it in person. They will profile you and not return emails or call you for an interview or even acknowledge that you even applied even though you are more than qualified for the position and let the position be kept open for another few weeks before filling it.

I found this library online by accident and being a KC resident my whole life, was surprised I'd never heard of it! So the husband and I brought our two teens along and we did a little field trip on a whim. Surrounded by UMKC, the building is on a beautiful campus and we felt completely safe here. Parking was simple as the library has it's own private parking lot and it's free. We met a very friendly staff member, Patti at the front desk, who gave us a brief history of the library, and set us up with a card. Getting a card was an easy process; only took filling out a small form and 5 minutes of our time. We were there for a little over an hour, and walked through the CSI exhibit, the cosmology theater and the arboretum. Currently there are forty plus projects on display from the recent science fair held at Union Station, too. The books from the CSI exhibit were enclosed in glass cases as some were published in the 16th century! My teens were mostly into how old everything was on display...like a museum for books. We were only in the "rare book room" for a few minutes as it is closed from 12-1pm daily. It would be totally worth it to make an appointment to get a more indepth look at the collection. The cosmology theater was smaller than I had envisioned but still very neat! We didn't stay long as it was a beautiful day and we wanted to get outside. So off to the arboretum we went. The path was nice in some parts and nonexistent in others so you have to walk on the grass, which we were told was okay. A variety of tall giants lined the path such as Austrian Pine, Northern Spruce and Sycamore. Benches were also scattered about to rest on. We will definitely be visiting this library again!

I was excited to take a recent engineering grad to Linda Hall Library to find study materials for his proficiency exams. Unfortunately, the library collection is quite neglected. The books in the engineering section were quite old and past the point of being useful. Study manuals used by engineering students to prepare for FE exams had publication dates of 1997 and earlier. They could not have been useful for students for over a decade. The librarian suggested we purchase our own books, which of course is obvious anyone going to a library could do. It's sad to see such a great library become academically neglected. It's still a lovely place to study, just bring your own materials.