Dr. Kenneth Lavender is a former Professor Emeritus, bibliographer, and curator of the University of North Texas Rare Book and Texana Collections.

Dr. Lavender graduated in 1961 from UC Santa Barbara with a Bachelors degree in English and followed with a Masters in the same subject in 1964 from UC Berkeley. In 1972 UC Santa Barbara awarded him a Doctorate in English; his dissertation focuses on Henry James. In 1973, Dr. Lavender received his second Masters, this time in Library Sciences, from the University of Illinois.

Between 1981-2001, Dr. Lavender taught over fifty-one courses at UNT ranging in topic from Preservation of Library Materials to Special Problems in Bookbinding. Under his command the Rare Book Collection expanded and Lavender drew attention to the University’s Special Collections by implementing exhibits such as “Wood Engraving: An Art Lost and Found,” “Victorian Bookbinding: Innovation and Extravagance,” and “Wood, Metal, Stone: Illustration in the Printing Arts.”

In 2001, Dr. Ken Lavender retired “for the first time” and moved on to work for Syracuse University as a curator, librarian, and professor. He remained there until 2015 when he announced his “second” retirement. Shortly afterwards, Dr. Lavender took a position in Ontario, Canada as a Senior Consultant for the Wilfred Laurier University’s Special Collections Department.