Stories

Celebrating 57 Years of Service: Sandra Kroupa

February 2, 2026

*UW Librarian Sandra Kroupa holds up a rare artists’ book. (Aileen Imperial/KCTS9)*

Following a distinguished and unparalleled career spanning seven decades and two centuries, Sandra Kroupa, Books Arts and Rare Books Curator, retired prior to the start of fall quarter 2025, and was awarded the status of Librarian Emerita by Provost Serio and Dean Simon Neame.

As Book Arts and Rare Books Curator, Sandra managed a breadth of responsibilities including collection development, instruction, reference, and service to both the campus and the profession. In each of these areas she achieved remarkable success and has had significant impact on student success, gained recognition for UW Libraries’ collections, and provided distinguished service at UW and in the profession.

Along her illustrious career, Sandra earned national and international recognition in Book Arts and is recognized as a leading authority on book history. She built UW’s Book Arts Collection into one of the largest, most respected public collections in the United States. Her impressive portfolio of work includes numerous publications, exhibits and presentations.

Despite her tenacity and passion for the work, Sandra’s path to librarianship was not necessarily intentional. In the summer of 1968, Sandra was on the cusp of finishing her undergraduate degree in creative writing and aspired to move to San Francisco with no specific plan at the time, other than to find a way to fund the trip. A friend mentioned an opening in UW Libraries, and the rest is history.

Initially, she worked as an indexer in Special Collections, reading newspapers and typing 3×5 file cards for the Special Collections’ Pacific Northwest Regional Index. Working alongside Special Collections Director Robert (Bob) Monroe, Sandra began to expand her knowledge of books, their history and production, and over time became more and more involved with rare books. Following Bob’s retirement, Sandra pursued her Master of Library Science degree, while continuing to oversee the Collection.

Bob was very intuitive about collecting books, posters, and ephemera, such as William Morris, before they became highly sought after. Sandra developed the same knack of recognizing material with intrinsic value ahead of others in the profession. With a unique endowment to collect 19th-century American literature, Sandra built a broad collection while other libraries focused primarily on English literature. Historical children’s literature, decorated cloth bindings, atlases and travel guides, and more, were all collecting areas where Sandra was on the pulse of what was both valuable and part of a larger impact of Special Collections in the curriculum.

Concurrently, Sandra became increasingly involved with modern book arts – creative practices and craft focused on the book as an art form – and began building what is now recognized as one of the premier artist’s book collections in the country. By establishing direct relationships with artists to acquire their work, Sandra gradually grew a diverse collection including many one-of-a-kind works by now-renowned artists. Her eventual title, Book Arts and Rare Books Curator, reflects this broader responsibility. A founding member of the Book Arts Guild, a local collective formed in 1979, Sandra brought the work of many artists to the attention of collectors and educators alike.

Sandra worked closely with faculty to develop the interdisciplinary Textual Studies minor, which brings numerous capstone students to Special Collections to pursue work in digital humanities, book arts and rare books.

ABOVE: In her element: Sandra gives a presentation at the Henry as part of the 2011 Shelf Life exhibit. “as a generous and wonderful teacher, she is more than happy to share her wisdom and experience with visitors and students… (the past) exhibitions have elicited gasps of delight from audience members as well as furious note-taking” – Excerpt from blog post This Sunday at Shelf Life: Book Arts Performance Exhibition with Sandra Kroupa

Image (left): UW Book Arts and Rare Books Curator Sandra Kroupa, center, discusses a book from the collection with students Alex Seo (right) and Leah Teague in the “Text, Publics, and Publication” course. All photos for this article are by Mark Stone/University Photography.

Sandra was a sought-after instructor, often teaching upwards of 75 sessions each quarter, sharing rare books, maps, book arts and more with faculty across the spectrum of disciplines including Architecture, Art, Asian Literature, Classics, Communications, Comparative Literature, Creative Writing, Design, Drama, English, French, German, History, Italian, Marine Biology, and Textual Studies.

In 2023-24, Sandra taught 133 sessions that reached 237 students, engaging them with over 4,800 items.

These numbers are not just statistics but countless opportunities Sandra has provided for students to engage with rare and unique materials in order to discover, connect with history, and be inspired by the very texture of the paper to produce their own creative works. Sandra has also taught credit courses including ENG 586 Graduate Writing with Maya Sonenberg in 2018 and for more than 20 years co-taught LIS 508 History of Recorded Information with David Levy until his retirement in 2023. Her impact on student learning over her career is immeasurable.

She has inspired generations of students by introducing them to rich and varied material, matching their interests and passions by drawing upon her extensive wealth of knowledge, not only of the UW’s collection, but the history, trends, and practices in book arts and rare books. It’s not hyperbole that students consider her a local legend. She will be missed greatly by all those who knew her and had the benefit of gleaning even a fraction of her encyclopedic knowledge, expertise and dedication to her work and craft.

To commemorate Sandra’s contributions, UW Libraries Special Collections has purchased Mare Blocker’s My Beloved Community Dictionary to be added to the Book Arts Collection. The collaborative dictionary features 144 linoleum block prints by 98 contributing artists and poets. 52 of the blocks were carved by Mare, who also printed the edition and bound this copy. The linked blanket stitch binding, handsewn in red, symbolizes the thread of fate that forever connects the important people in our life.

It is impossible to convey Sandra’s impact in such a brief summary of her career, or to reach all those who may want to express their gratitude and appreciation, but those want to send Sandra a celebratory message can do so online by Feb 10, 2026.

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If you would like to make a donation in Sandra’s honor, you may do so through the Library Book Arts Gift Fund.