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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Derby Public Library

Derby, Kansas

Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Derby.

Explore the Archive Institution Website
6Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1998 to 2023Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

67,496Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Derby, Kansas.

Get to know Derby, Kansas in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Derby Public Library's digital archive. Its six titles include material from 1998 to 2023.

You can open the archive using the link below.
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  • Selected titles

    The titles shared by Derby Public Library include “Derby Informer” and “The Derby Reporter”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • A closer look

    A familiar name or event takes on another dimension in the newspaper coverage of its time, alongside the stories that mattered to the readers of that issue.

Historical newspapers can connect a family name with the events and everyday concerns of an earlier time, offering more than a date or a name on its own. Bring a family connection, a question about a familiar place or an interest in local history, and see where the sources lead. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse six titles and 67,496 digitized pages, with material from 1998 to 2023. A partnership between Derby Public Library and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Every search for the past starts with a question. Explore the titles below, follow the sources that speak to it, and see what new detail appears.

Derby Informer

7,062 pages from 2012 to 2017

Derby Reporter

2,488 pages in 2005

The Derby Informer

24,560 pages from 2005 to 2023

The Derby Reporter

25,602 pages from 2005 to 2009

The Derby Weekly Informer

6,808 pages from 2001 to 2005

The Informer

976 pages from 1998 to 2000

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About the Library

About Derby Public Library

The Derby Public Library has been serving the Derby community since 1958, when it first opened in two small rooms at the back of City Hall. Over the years, the library has moved several times, each time expanding its services to meet the growing needs of the community. In 2009, the library moved to its current location at 1600 E Walnut Grove, offering a modern facility for the community to access educational and recreational resources.

Derby Public Library photo 1

Library History

The History Of Derby Public Library

The library's journey began in 1957 with a proposal for a library in Derby. Within a year, the library became a reality and has since grown into a vital part of the community. Throughout its history, the library has embraced technology and new formats, such as lending 16mm films in 1970 and being the first library in Sedgwick County to offer public Internet access in 1996. Today, it continues to be a hub of knowledge and community engagement, offering a variety of resources, including Playaways and public computer access.

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Library Milestones

  • 1970: Started loaning 16mm films
  • 1985: Acquired its first IBM computer for interlibrary loans
  • 1996: Became the first library in Sedgwick County to provide public Internet access
  • 2006: Added Playaways to its collection

Local History

Did You Know?

Did you know that the Derby Public Library was the first library in Sedgwick County to provide public Internet access? Since 1996, the library has continued to innovate and expand its services to meet the needs of the community.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Keep publication context with a finding

Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Derby. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Derby Public Library to follow that question into the historical record. When using historical newspapers, try alternate spellings and nearby dates, then read the surrounding page to place a local story in its time. Compare later reporting or another available title to explore different perspectives rather than treating one account as the whole story. Note the newspaper title, issue date, and page for a useful report. Compare another account where available, and keep differences in timing or perspective visible rather than blending them into a single version.

Save the newspaper title, issue date, and page, then compare another dated account where available. Keep differences in timing and perspective visible so the source context is not lost. If the accounts disagree, record what each source supports and use the difference to shape a further search rather than smoothing them into one version.

A research trail is most useful when it leaves room for what is not yet known. Record the title, date, and page or item reference where available, along with what remains uncertain and which question you want to follow next. Those details help keep a possible connection from becoming an unsupported conclusion.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Derby Public Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.

Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.

Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.

Learn about partnerships
Read All About It

Stories, research tips, and archive news

Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.

Newest published articles

March 18, 2025

It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?

We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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