• St. Louis Mercantile Library

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WE'RE HIRING!
The St. Louis Mercantile Library is currently searching for a Curator of Fine Art and Research Professor.
View Position and Apply

Now Accepting Registration for the Kranzberg Fine Printing Student Essay Competition until April 17, 2026

The Kranzberg Fine Printing Student Essay Competition was established to encourage critical engagement with the Mercantile Library’s collections of fine press books and works on paper. Fine printing, often referred to as fine press, emphasizes the book as a carefully crafted art object in which typography, paper, binding, imagery, and text are thoughtfully integrated. Fine press books are typically produced in limited editions and reflect a commitment to craftsmanship, artistic vision, and the relationship between form and content.

Awards:

  • First Prize: $500
  • Second Prize: $250
  • Third Prize: $100
Only currently enrolled students (undergraduate or graduate) at the University of Missouri-St. Louis are eligible to enter.

View Contest Rules and Registration Deadlines.

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Established in 1846 by civic leaders and philanthropists, the Mercantile exists today as a vibrant community and cultural asset. It is the oldest library west of the Mississippi and the grandparent of St. Louis cultural institutions.

The task of the Mercantile Library as a research library is to make its collections, which have come to concentrate on Western Expansion and the history, development, and growth of the St. Louis region and of the American rail and river transportation experiences, available to the widest number of local and national users.

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