In the mid-1990s, the Kansas City Public Library was threatening to close its branch on the Westside. Librarian Irene Ruiz went door to door campaigning for the building to stay. Today, that branch of the library is named after her.

In the 1970s and ‘80s, Kansas City librarian Irene Ruiz conducted nearly 60 interviews on a tape recorder. Her project is one of the only existing oral histories of Mexican immigrants who came to Kansas City. Ruiz is also remembered for creating a more welcoming place for the Mexican immigrants and Latinos who lived on the Westside, and for her fight to keep that branch of the Kansas City Public Library open. The Irene H. Ruiz branch on the Westside opened its doors for the first time 23 years ago this month.

From the KCUR podcast, A People’s History of Kansas City, Mackenzie Martin remembers the extraordinary librarian who gave the building its name.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by David McKeel and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.