Years ago, Missouri Historical Society (MHS) Librarian Emily Jaycox became aware of the lack of a comprehensive reference guide to St. Louis immigrant communities after a conversation with a student who was just starting a paper on that topic. She began researching and outlining a reference work that could help with future inquiries.

In January 2026, she stepped down from her longtime role as department head to focus on writing this book. MHS has since launched a Migration and Memory Initiative in preparation for an exhibition to open in 2029. The exhibit and Jaycox's book (scheduled for publication in 2030) will complement each other.

Her focus for this work is on institutions – such as congregations, clubhouses, schools, orphanages, and newspapers – that immigrants formed and sustained in the process of making St. Louis their home. In this talk, Jaycox will discuss the overall structure of the book and her research process. She'll also discuss scope considerations, number of immigrant groups included in the book, and balancing primary and secondary research.

Emily Jaycox joined the Missouri Historical Society library staff in 1989 and became head Librarian in 1995. In that role she spent much of her workday building the library collection and planning ways to make more of it searchable online. Now in a part-time role at MHS, she is researching and writing a reference guide on St. Louis immigration history.