Find your high school yearbook in the KCPL archives

Think being a student in the pre-internet age kept your embarrassing freshman year photo off the web? Think again.

Today, we’re cracking open the Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library’s online archive with loads of local history to sift through — including 1000+ yearbooks from metro schools spanning the 1920s to 2000s.

We’re willing to bet that’s most of our readers, unless there’s a Guinness World Record holder in our midst.

Here’s how to find your own:

1. Visit the Missouri Valley Special Collections . This site has all the goodies — it’s even inspired a few fan-fave KCtoday articles .
2. Find your high school in the drop menu + narrow down the results by your desired year.
3. Once you’ve found the one , scroll through and bask in the memories. (The site even lets you download + print the files, just click the appropriate icons in the top right corner.)
4. Not all yearbooks — including those from elementary, middle, trade + universities — are available online. See if your year is on the list and check it out in-person at the Central Library.

With graduation season in full swing, we’re figured it was the perfect time for this healthy dose of nostalgia. So please, share your favorite photos with KCtoday + we may feature them in an upcoming newsletter.