Making a Gift to the UO Libraries

Ken Kesey Collection

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Ken Kesey left an extraordinary legacy that has shaped social and cultural values to this day. Praised as one of the most important writers of his generation, his work has been translated into more than 30 languages. The Ken Kesey Collection contains irreplaceable typewritten manuscripts, artwork, collages, photographs, and correspondence dating from 1960 to 2001. This rich archive is a resource for students and scholars interested not only in Ken Kesey and his writing but also in the literature and culture of the 1960s.

The University of Oregon has the unique opportunity to purchase the Ken Kesey Collection and keep it in its current home, the UO Knight Library, as Ken wished. Forthcoming print and film biographies will generate a resurgence of scholarly and cultural interest in Ken’s work, across the globe. If the University of Oregon is able to act on this opportunity, it stands to gain international attention as the home of the Ken Kesey Collection.

Ken Kesey’s spirit of individualism influenced a generation, and lives on to this day. The opportunity to acquire his archive will not be available again. The collection may well leave the state of Oregon, or be divided and sold into private hands, if the UO does not make it part of the library’s permanent collections at this time. The Kesey family has generously given the UO the opportunity to purchase the collection. Your gift will help the University of Oregon acquire the Ken Kesey Collection and ensure that it remains where it belongs: at home at the University of Oregon.

The Ken Kesey Fund enables the library to purchase the Kesey archive, a literary and cultural treasure, for future generations of students and scholars.

We appreciate your interest and support! For more information, contact: