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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Emporia Public Library

Emporia, Kansas

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

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3Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1978 to 2015Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

772,666Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

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

Explore the past of Emporia, Kansas through newspapers in the Emporia Public Library's digital archive. Its three titles include material from 1978 to 2015.

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

    Explore titles such as “Emporia Gazette” and “Emporia Gazette Weekend”, shared by Emporia Public Library.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • A closer look

    Newspaper pages connect individual accounts with a wider story, preserving how events were reported and presented to the readers of the day.

Reporting from the time can reveal how people described the events, work and concerns of their day, placing a local story within the history unfolding around it. Whether you are tracing a family connection, exploring a local event or sharing history with a class, there is more to discover than names and dates alone. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse three titles and 772,666 digitized pages, with material from 1978 to 2015. This collection is shared through Emporia Public Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Bring a person, place or date you recognize, and browse the titles below for a first clue in the story you want to follow.

Emporia Gazette

173,140 pages from 1978 to 1987

Emporia Gazette Weekend

94,692 pages from 2004 to 2015

The Emporia Gazette

504,834 pages from 1988 to 2015

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About the Library

About Emporia Public Library

The Emporia Public Library, established in 1869, has been a cornerstone of the community for over 150 years. Originally operating on a subscription basis, the library has grown into a publicly funded institution that provides access to a wide range of educational and recreational materials. The library has undergone significant changes, including moving to a modern facility that opened in 1906, and expanding services like the Kansas Room, free public computers, and Wi-Fi access.

Emporia Public Library photo 1

Library History

The History Of Emporia Public Library

Emporia's first library association was formed in 1869, just twelve years after the town's founding. Despite early financial challenges, the library persevered, eventually transitioning to a tax-supported public institution. In 1906, thanks to a donation from Andrew Carnegie and land from Mrs. Preston B. Plumb, the current library building was completed. Over the years, the library has embraced technology, from microfilming newspapers to launching an automated library system in 2001 and adding RFID technology during the COVID-19 pandemic to make services more accessible.

Local History

Did You Know?

Did you know that the Emporia Public Library has been serving the community for over 150 years and continues to adapt its services to meet the needs of modern patrons, including offering digital resources and curbside pickup during the COVID-19 pandemic?

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Follow a report into its setting

A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Emporia. The digital archive shared by the Emporia Public Library offers a place to begin. 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. Read the headline and neighboring articles as well as the matching lines. The surrounding page can show whether a report is local news, an editorial, or another kind of account; compare its details with later coverage where available.

Take a place or institution mentioned in a report as a new search lead. Check the issue date and read nearby articles to see how the setting is described. Preserve historical names and boundaries as written, and compare another dated reference before connecting the place to a present-day location.

Record which title, date, page, or item supports a useful lead. Mark unanswered questions before connecting it to a family or community story. A similar name can point you toward another source, but it is not proof of identity.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Emporia 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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