WESTERN COLLECTION
Purpose:
The purpose of the Western Collection is to preserve and provide limited access to materials
which pertain to the Great Plains and Kansas, with an emphasis on Western Kansas, and to the
American West which includes various topics such as the cattle industry and cowboy life of the
Great Plains area from 1800 up to W.W.I.
Geographic Area:
The geographic area may encompass Fort Hays State University, the city of Hays, Ellis County,
the state of Kansas, or the area as large as that referred to as the Great Plains and the American
West.
Types of Materials:
 Fiction and non-fiction materials about the Great Plains and Kansas, with an emphasis on
Western Kansas
 Fiction and non-fiction materials about the American West which will include the cattle
industry, military history, Indians, the “Wild West” and cowboys of the Great Plains area
prior to World War One. Ramon Adams' The Rampaging Herd can be used as a guide for
finding materials for the cattle industry and cowboys of the Great Plains area.
The emphasis for collection will be currently published materials rather than out-of-print
materials. Hard backs or laminated paperbacks will be acquired unless paperback is the only
edition available. Most items purchased will be print materials, although exceptions can be made
to occasionally purchase non-print items such as DVD’s, software, etc.
Emphasis will be placed on obtaining the following types of materials if they are available, and if
they pertain to the selection criteria for the Western Collection:
 Primary source materials (such as journals, diaries, reminiscences, memoirs, etc.)
 Unpublished materials
 Signed, numbered or limited editions
 Publications by those who lived in the area
 Biographies or autobiographies
 First editions
 Books published by the University Press of Kansas if they meet the selection criteria for
the Western Collection.
Exclusions from the Western Collection
 Although material for juveniles may meet the selection criteria for the Western
Collection, they will not be collected.
 Materials published before 1801 (for European publications) and 1840 (for American
publications) will be placed in the C Collection even though they meet the selection
criteria for the Western Collection.
Other guidelines for the Western Collection
 Although others may purchase reference books for the reference collection which deal
with the selection criteria for this collection, reference books may also be purchased
specifically for the Western Collection and used as resource tools in this area.
 Although fiction, poetry, and short stories by Kansas authors will be collected, nonfiction
books by Kansas authors will not be collected unless they pertain to the selection criteria
for the collection.
 The Eartha and Elmer Pugh Trust Fund stipulates that materials brought with monies
received from the fund meet the following criteria:
o Books dealing with Kansas history, whether fiction or nonfiction, with particular
emphasis upon the Hays and Ellis County areas
o Books and artwork by authors and artists whose roots are in Kansas
GUIDELINES FOR THE PLACEMENT OF MATERIALS IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
(All items should meet the selection criteria for each collection specified within Special Collections)
 Kansas church, county and town histories and Kansas history – Western Collection
o If the items relate to the Volga Germans, Bukovina Germans, Nicodemus –
Center for Ethnic Studies
 Kansas native or Kansas immigrant tribes – Western Collection
o The Kansas State Historical Society has named 25 tribes. (see appendix 1)
 Hays city directories and the like – Western Collection
 One copy of each FHSU thesis – University Theses Collection
o A second copy of the thesis – General Collection
 If a thesis meets the selection criteria of the Western Collection, the
second copy will be placed in the Western Collection.
 The Fort Hays Studies publication – Western Collection
o Extra copies – University Archives
 Materials that must be handled with care – Western Collection Vertical File
o Items are in acid-free envelopes which have the call number, title, author, bar
code, Western label, and stamped with "For Use in Library Only" as well as
"Forsyth Library" on the front of the envelope
o Vertical File is two file cabinets located along the east wall of the room
 Kansas history textbooks – Western Collection
o Extra copies – Juvenile or General Collection
 Cassette tapes, CD’s and DVD’s
o Western Collection
o Center for Ethnic Studies
o University Archives
 Multiple copies of an item if they are signed or numbered, or are found in American
Book Prices Current, or have historical significance – Western Collection
 Material written by a person from Fort Hays State University – Western Collection
o If a second copy is available, it will be placed in archives
 Material written by a person from Fort Hays if it pertains to Fort Hays State University or
does not fit the selection criteria for other collections – University Archives
o If a second copy is available, it will be placed in the Western Collection
 Titles located in the Western Collection that are found in American Book Prices Current
are identified by placing the initials ABPC and the dollar amount on the inside cover in
the upper left hand corner.
 Reveille (if library has only one copy) – University Archives
o Any second copies – Western Collection
o Remaining copies – University Archives
 Kansas cookbooks – Western Collection
 Updated versions of titles
 Periodicals
 Volga Germans, Bukovina Germans, Nicodemus – any second copies can be placed in
the Western Collection if they meet the selection criteria
 Kansas authors (non-fiction, fiction, short stories, and poetry) – Western Collection
 Stories with a Kansas setting or about a Kansas personality by any author – Western
Collection
 Non-fiction, fiction, short stores and poetry of the American West or the Great Plains –
Western Collection
o Any second copies – General Collection
 Materials by private publishers will remain in the appropriate special collection.
 University Press of Kansas publications
o If they meet the selection criteria
 Western Collection
 Center for Ethnic Studies
o Do not purchase them, as they are given to the library from the President’s office
and the Provost’s office
 The Albertson, Tomanek, and Bartholomew materials – University Archives
APPENDIX I
Indian Tribes in Kansas history
Arapaho
Cheyenne
Comanche
Kansa
Kiowa/Kiowa Apache
Missouri/Oto
Osage
Pawnee
Plains Apache
Wichita
Pottawatomie
Shawnee
Iowa
Sauk Fox or Sac Fox
Cherokee
Chippewa
Delaware
Kickapoo
Munsee
Ottawa
Wyandot
Peorias and Kaskaskias. 1833
Weas and Piankeshaws. 1833
Indians who lived on the Miami Reserve (1839-1841)
Indians who lived on the Quapaw Strip in 1834