A MD80'S NOSE GEAR DID NOT RETRACT AFTER TKOF. THE FLT CREW MISSED A MAINT LOGBOOK ENTRY FROM THE PREVIOUS FLT THAT HAD THE SAME ANOMALY OCCUR AND IT WAS NOT REPAIRED.

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WE ARRIVED AT ZZZ LATE; AND HAD TO CHANGE PLANES FOR THE NEXT FLT. THE DEP PROCESS WAS RUSHED; WITH FLT Y ALREADY BOARDING PAX WHEN WE ARRIVED. WE DID OUR PREFLT CHKLIST NORMALLY; BUT DID NOT NOTICE TWO LOGBOOK ITEMS LEFT OPEN ON THE LAST PAGE. AFTER DEP FROM ZZZ THE NOSE GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT; NECESSITATING A RETURN TO ZZZ. WE DECLARED AN EMER; ACCOMPLISHED THE CHKLISTS; AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. WE PARKED AT THE GATE AND IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THE NOSE STRUT WAS NOW COLLAPSED (IT WAS NORMAL DURING PREFLT/TAXI-OUT). RE-EXAMINED THE LOGBOOK; THE PREVIOUS CREW HAD WRITTEN-UP THE NOSE GEAR FOR NOT RETRACTING. THE MALFUNCTION HAD BEEN TRANSMITTED THROUGH THE ACARS SYSTEM; BUT NO NOTATION WAS ON THE MEL PAGE OR ON THE FLT PLAN WHEN WE ACCEPTED THE ACFT. THE DISPATCHER HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF ANY WRITE-UPS; NOR DID THE BOARDING AGENTS; OR ANYONE ELSE IN THE DEP PROCESS. CLEARLY IN OUR HASTE TO GET THE ACFT OUT ON TIME; THE LAST PAGE OF THE LOGBOOK WAS OVERLOOKED. THE SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE ACARS SYSTEM HAD NOTIFIED ALL THE PARTIES INVOLVED IMMEDIATELY ON ENTRY INTO THE SYSTEM: MAINT; DISPATCH; RAMP TOWER. THE AIRCREW WAS THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE IN THIS SITUATION AND WE SHOULD HAVE NOTICED THE WRITE-UPS; BUT WE WERE RUSHED BY GATE CHANGES; LATE ARR; ADDING FUEL AND THE BOARDING OF PAX. THE ENTIRE BOARDING AND DEP PROCESS LED US TO BELIEVE THE ACFT WAS READY FOR DISPATCH AND HAD NO MEL ITEMS.