New Digital Collection – Ulysses B. Roach Diaries
The Digital Library Center has recently digitized a set of diaries and farm accounts from Ulysses B. Roach, a farmer and plantation owner in Jefferson County, Florida. The diaries give us a detailed glimpse into the day-to-day life of Roach, who meticulously documented the weather and the quality of his crops. Ulysses B. Roach wrote…
2023 Emmett Till Archives Lecture Series
Join FSU Libraries and the Emmett Till Archives on Tuesday, March 28 at 5:30 p.m. in the Broad Auditorium, Claude Pepper Center, in a discussion about the “Educational Legacy of Mamie Till-Mobley” with Dr. Brandon M. Erby. Dr. Erby is an Assistant Professor of Writing Rhetoric, and Digital Studies and an affiliated faculty member in African…
Cassettes Galore with the William R. Jones Papers
This Spring Break was probably one of the more relaxed ones I’ve had while working here in Special Collections. While everyone was off campus, I had the pleasure of working in solitude with the William R. Jones Papers, a collection that has me handling more cassettes at once than I ever have in my life.…
The Kelmscott Collection
When thinking about books, many people often associate them with their contents, or the information they contain. Books are often considered to be tools rather than works of art. However, one of the more interesting and unusual set of objects here in Special Collections is the Kelmscott Press Collection which positions the book as something…
17th Century Contracts: A Glimpse Into Our New Collection
Object FSU_MSS_1948-003_B001_F001 via Florida State University. As a digital library intern for the past two semesters with Special Collections, I have been working on digitizing the 17th-20th Century Correspondence & Documents collection. To celebrate the approach of the end of this project and the midpoint of this semester, I wanted to highlight the first item…
Heritage & University Archives Remembers Maggie Allesee
Heritage & University Archives mourns the passing of Margaret “Maggie” Strum Acheson Allesee. Maggie attended Florida State College for Women in 1947 just as it was transitioning to a co-ed university. During her time at Florida State College for Women and FSU, she was involved with the Florida Flambeau newspaper, Pi Beta Phi, and was…
Book Traces in Strozier Library
Earlier this month, Strozier library hosted visiting professor Andrew Stauffer to lead a class through the exercise of finding unique texts from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This project, called Book Traces, was founded by Stauffer with the goal of discovering and cataloging books of this time that were customized by their owners.…
Current Reads: The Trial By Franz Kafka
This post was written by Yenesis Sotomayor, Special Collections & Archives collections management associate. Hello, fellow literary connoisseurs! I am currently engaging in Franz Kafka’s Germanic dystopian The Trial. My experience so far, you may ask, consists of me sinking deeper into my hunchback position and feasting off Kafka’s depressing tale. I adore the bitter…
Book Traces Event
Today, Thursday February 9th, the FSU English Department will be hosting a talk by Professor Andrew Stauffer in the Williams Building Common Room. Andrew Stauffer is the founder of the crowd-sourced project Book Traces, an online collection of photos of unique copies of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century books found on library shelves. What makes these…
How to Get to the Claude Pepper Library and Museum
This semester, Special Collections & Archives research appointments and instruction sessions will be taking place at the Claude Pepper Library, which is located inside the Claude Pepper Center. Here is some information about how to get there! You’ve probably walked past this building many times but never knew what it was or what was inside…
DPLA’s Black Women’s Suffrage Collection
As we approach Black History Month it is important to highlight the Black women who helped shape American history. The Black Women’s Suffrage Digital Collection is a collaborative project to provide digital access to materials documenting the roles and experiences of Black Women in the Women’s Suffrage Movement and, more broadly, women’s rights, voting rights,…
Happy 172nd Birthday, FSU!
Today marks 172 years since the Florida Legislature (then the General Assembly of the State of Florida) passed a bill establishing an institution of higher learning in Tallahassee in 1851. This institution would eventually become Florida State University. It wasn’t until the year 2000 that 1851 was accepted as FSU’s founding year. Previously, FSU’s founding…
On this day in Claude Pepper History: January 18, 1983
From his early days in the United States Senate, Claude Pepper continually advocated for the expansion of Social Security accommodations for all older Americans. The Claude Pepper Papers trace this advocacy from the Senate, to the U.S. House of Representatives, where in 1983 he was appointed to the National Commission on Social Security Reform. Informally…
Spring 2023 Service Update
During Winter Break, Strozier Library’s basement and sub-basement experienced water damage due to an air handler coil freezing. Due to this, our services here at Special Collections & Archives will be altered for the Spring 2023 semester. Thankfully, we did not lose any collections or sustain significant collections damage in the flood. Damage to flooring,…
On This Day: December 12th, 1765
Among the 17th-20th Century Correspondence and Documents Collection at FSU’s Special Collections and Archives, there is a letter from Charles Lyttelton dated December 12th, but as the title of the collection would suggest, it was not written in 2022. This 18th century letter was written on December 12, 1765, and discusses newly uncovered tree fossils.…
In the Stacks: A History of Florida State University’s Libraries
This post was written by Valarie Godwin, an undergraduate history major and museum studies minor at FSU. An intern with Heritage and University Archives during fall 2022, Valarie curated and installed an exhibition in the Heritage Museum about the history of FSU libraries. My name is Valarie Godwin and this semester I had the opportunity…
It’s Finals Week Again
We made it through the fall 2022 semester! Special Collections is wishing everyone good luck with their finals this week. The Heritage Museum in Dodd Hall and the Norwood Reading Room in Strozier Library are both open for quiet study this week. Hours can be found here.
Bake Off Wrap-up and Corn Cake Conundrums
I clearly missed what the recipe meant by “thick paste,” and landed on something more akin to tile grout.
The Archivist vs. the Mocha Cake
It’s the final week of the Great Rare Books Bake Off here and I, Haley McGuyre, your humble Collections Management Archivist, have been tasked with Dessert Week. The Show-stopper. The problem, dear readers, is that I am not a baker. So. Being gifted the dessert week spot is a little intimidating. And to add more…
The Great Immersive Bake Off!
Hello there! My name is Amanda Brito, and I am the Immersive Scholarship graduate assistant in the Office of Digital Research and Scholarship. I am currently a second year MA student in Art History with a concentration in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies. My research focuses on Contemporary Latin American and Caribbean visual culture with…
Windsor Milk Soup
I’ve always wanted to take part in the Great Rare Books Bake Off and this year I seized my chance just in time for my favorite time of year: Soup Season. I knew I wanted a comfy soup that I could (hopefully) enjoy for a few nights while it’s been rainy and cold here in…
Great Grandma’s Banana Bread
This post was written by Caroline Haight, an intern at Special Collections and Archives, for their Great Rare Books Bake Off blog series. For my contribution to the Great Rare Books Bake Off blog series, I have decided to make my great grandmother’s banana bread recipe. This recipe is one that I’ve watched my grandmother…
Sweet as Molasses: Making a Molasses Cake
When thinking about a recipe to try for this year’s Great Rare Books Bake Off, I tried to find something that required minimal ingredients and was something that I had never tried before. A lot of the required ingredients for cakes that I kept finding required a large amount of eggs, flour, and sugar, until…
The Scare of Smallpox Through the Lens of 18th Century Correspondence
Living through life post-2020 pandemic has made us learn a lot of things about preparing for the unknown. But humans aren’t new to the phenomenon of epidemics. While working with the Florida State University’s Special Collections and Archives, I came across a series of letters from the 17th-20th Century Correspondence and Documents collection that mention…
GRBBO Mini-Exhibit
Currently located on the main floor of Strozier Library is a mini-exhibit dedicated to the Great Rare Books Bake Off event hosted by Special Collections and Archives. Over the last month or so, I have been searching the archives for interesting and relevant materials to fill the display case and put together a cohesive exhibit…
Lemon Snaps
This is a guest contribution to Illuminations for The Great Rare Books Bake Off, from Alex Challenger, a member of Special Collection’s Reference Assistance Team. When I began researching recipes for the Great Rare Books Bake-Off, I quickly found that the recipe books from Special Collections assumed that I knew quite a bit more about…
Cinnamon Rusks
“Mould into biscuit and bake immediately” seemed to be missing some crucial instructions but I was game to try it out
Get Ready to Vote on Election Day!
November 8th is National Election Day! Election Day is the annual day set for general elections, both for federal, state, and local governments. The University has an important resource, FSU Votes , that may come in handy before casting a ballot. There, you can learn more about obtaining a sample ballot, tracking a mail-in ballot, instructions…
The Bee’s Knees
This is a guest contribution to Illuminations for The Great Rare Books Bake Off by Mila Turner, FSU’s Social Science Data & Research Librarian Today I’m sharing a recipe for a Bee’s Knees cocktail with a delicious taste and an even richer history. It’s simple and easy to make yourself, or to enjoy at your…
How Working with Special Collections Made Me a Better Historian
My name is Daniel Arenas and I am currently a doctoral candidate at the FSU history department but I have also been working as an intern with Special Collections and Archives. Specifically, I am working as a digital curator intern for the FSU Special Collections collaboration with the John G. Riley Center and Tallahassee Community…
Wacky Diet Fads from the Past
I thought I’d explore the wacky world of diet-focused recipes in the collections.
Announcing…The Great Rare Books Bake Off 2022!
It is the most wonderful time of the year! The Great British Bake Off Season 13 is currently airing and the weather is finally cooling down here on FSU campus. This will be our third year of celebrating all things baking, cooking, and mixing here in FSU Special Collections & Archives. This year we are…
Interacting with the Archives
In honor of October being Archives Month, I wanted to go over all the ways and places you can interact with our collections. There are multiple ways you can visit the archives at FSU. You don’t need an appointment, you don’t need to be doing deep research, and you don’t even have to come to…
Newest Graduate Assistant in SCA
Hi there! My name is Alice Fabela (she/her/hers) and I am the newest Graduate Assistant in FSU’s Special Collections & Archives. I was born in Houston, Texas, but grew up in Cape Coral, Florida. As a kid, I was always traveling with my family and it quickly led to me being interested in history. When…
Ancient Cuneiform Tablets Spend 100 Years at FSU
The present year of 2022 marks a full century since the acquisition of Special Collections and Archives’ oldest inanimate residents, the cuneiform tablets. Purchased by faculty in 1922, these twenty-five tablets were bought from Edgar J. Banks back when the school was still referred to as the Florida State College for Women. Although they currently…
American Archives Month: Conscious Metadata at FSU Libraries
On September 27, five representatives of FSU Libraries attended the SSDN Conscious Metadata Working Session in Tallahassee, FL. In the spirit of the American Archives Month theme of The Power Of Collaboration, we shared ideas and brainstormed next steps on conscious editing at FSU Libraries. Read on to find out what we learned and what…
Digital Housekeeping for Archives Month
As part of our celebration here for American Archives Month, I thought a few tips on how you can be the best archivist of your own digital archives might be helpful. We all create documents, photographs, and other digital content every day at an ever increasing rate. This is our personal archives and while we…
American Archives Month
Happy American Archives Month! This month is intended to raise public awareness about the importance of historic documents and records. Join us though out this month to learn more about how our staff makes history accessible to the public! FSU Special Collections and Archives will celebrating American Archives Month multiple ways throughout October: Want to…
SCA Hours due to Hurricane Ian
We’re all keeping a close eye on the path of Hurricane Ian, and adjusting plans accordingly. Our open hours for Special Collections & Archives spaces will be a little different this week – here’s the full scoop: Special Collections & Archives Research Center[First floor Strozier] Monday, 9/26Tuesday, 9/27Wednesday, 9/28Thursday, 9/29Friday, 9/3010am – 6pm10am – 6pmClosedClosedClosed…
Tarpon Club at Strozier
Heritage & University Archives has a new exhibit displaying materials from FSU’s Tarpon Club in the Norwood Reading Room at Strozier. This exhibit was put together by Sierria Groom over the summer. Continue reading to learn more about her experience curating this exhibit and to learn where and when you can view it. As an…
Family Weekend at Heritage Museum
This weekend is Family Weekend at FSU! This tradition is one FSU has participated in for over 35 years. The Heritage Museum in Dodd Hall will be open today, September 23rd, from 10am to 5pm for students and their families to visit. Below, enjoy some then and now photographs of Dodd Hall, one of the…
Introducing: The Reading Room KIC Scanner
Future researchers, we want to direct your attention to our new KIC scanner. With our help, you will now be able to scan the materials that you’re studying and email the images directly to yourself for your own personal research. However, we do have a few types of materials that may not be scanned including…
New Faces and New Hours at SCA
Leading into the fall semester, we want to announce our expanded hours and introduce you to a few new faces behind the desk in the Strozier Special Collections & Archives Reading Room. Fall Semester Strozier Reading Room Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 10am – 6pm Wednesday: 10am – 7pm Friday: 10am – 5pm Fall Semester Pepper…
Welcome Back FSU!
Welcome back to all the new and returning students and faculty! We hope you all had a great first week back on campus. FSU Special Collections and Archives are excited to welcome you all and wish you luck with the fall semester! Be sure to come visit the SCA Reading Room to come see our…
Getting a Teaching Job in 1941, Florida
Meet Samuel James Evans. Around the time this picture was taken, he had been a teacher in Florida for 5 years.
Metadata collection improvements for the Sunshine State Digital Network
The Sunshine State Digital Network (SSDN) is a service hub for the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), and has it’s administrative home here in FSU’s Special Collections & Archives division. One main activity of SSDN is collecting metadata for digital collections around the state and passing it along to DPLA for inclusion in their…
National Organization for Women – 56th Anniversary
Today marks the 56th anniversary of the formation of the National Organization for Women (NOW). In 1966, inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, Betty Friedan and a group of women organized to found a parallel effort to ensure equal treatment of men and women. What started as a small group of fifteen women, NOW has…
LGBT Oral History Project of North Florida
Oral history is one of the biggest components of understanding the queer experience. Most LGBTQ+ history has been passed down orally, rather than through written material. Oral histories have special characteristics that other resources in our collection don’t have – intimacy. They provide a first-hand view and help us understand a specific moment in time…
Naiad Press and the Oral History of Lesbians in Tallahassee
Did you know that Tallahassee was once home to the largest and oldest lesbian book press in the world? Run by Barbara Grier and Donna McBride, Naiad Press published a wide range of books written by and for lesbians. Authors published through Naiad Press included Patricia Highsmith, Katherine V. Forrest, Ann Bannon, and FSU’s own…
Pride Month in SCA
Happy Pride Month! Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that LGBTQ+ individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally. Throughout the month of June, the blog will be highlighting…
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Illuminations 