University of Arizona

Students, faculty, staff, and the public are now welcome to visit Special Collections without an appointment from 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday.

News

Cheers to our graduating student employees!

May 12, 2023

We are so proud of our student employees as their years of hard work, dedication and perseverance pay off. We wish them and all graduating Wildcats the best in every endeavor and hope they think fondly of the University Libraries when they think of the University of Arizona.

2023 Spring/Summer graduates

Checking for and treating items with mold

May 7, 2023

Preservation Week is the last week of April, and raises awareness about the various ways that libraries and archives work to preserve and protect their materials.

In Special Collections, one of the ways we preserve our collections is checking items for mold. Materials age and temperature and humidity changes can cause different types of mold to grow.

Preservation Week Pop-up exhibit, April 21-May 22

May 1, 2023

April 30 – May 6, 2023 is Preservation Week, an initiative of the American Library Association, the Library of Congress, the Institute of Library and Museum Services, the American Institute for Conservation, the Society of American Archivists, and Heritage Preservation.

Book preservation is as old as libraries; Assyrians included curses in their clay tablets to protect them from vandalism and theft.

Associate Librarian Bob Diaz participated in Congressional 'Fly-in,' March 8-9

Apr 6, 2023

The American Library Association (ALA) Washington office contacted REFORMA, the National Association for the Promotion of Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking, to help identify someone from southern Arizona to participate in ALA's 2023 Congressional Fly-in on March 8 and 9.

Celebrating APIDA Heritage Month in April

Mar 31, 2023

The University of Arizona, like many other universities, honors Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month in April while most students are still on campus, as spring semester ends around mid-May.

Since 1990, the U.S. has celebrated the achievements and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders throughout May.

Arizona Statehood Anniversary, Feb. 14

Feb 14, 2023

Happy Statehood Day, Arizona! This newspaper clipping features a song about Arizona's statehood from the Scrapbooks of George W.P. Hunt (AZ 80) Collection.

Black History Month 2023

Feb 1, 2023

In celebration of Black History Month, we are showcasing historical images from our archives.

Before 1909, schools in Arizona were not segregated by race; however, that year a law was passed mandating racial segregation for the first eight years of a child's schooling.

Preservation Specialist Fleur van der Woude presented webinar in 'Conservation Corner'

Jan 31, 2023

In early January, Special Collections Preservation Specialist Fleur van der Woude presented a webinar: "Where Does the Mold Go? A Conservator’s Decisions about Dry-cleaning" with the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts in their Conservator's Corner.

This program is provided with generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, with additional support from the William Penn Foundation and Independence Foundation.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection

Jan 19, 2023

The life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. live on beyond January 16 — the day on which we honor him.

Our Martin Luther King collection contains many materials exploring Dr. King's history of civil rights activism, such as this short 1957 comic book from the Tucson Council for Civic Unity records collection. Published by the Fellowship of Reconciliation and recounts the rise of King and his strategies of nonviolent action.

You can find more materials like this in Special Collections.

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