The USF Tampa Library Special & Digital Collections Department collects, preserves, and provides access to significant collections of Floridiana, archival and manuscript materials, 19th-century American imprints, children’s literature, rare books, science fiction, sheet music, and Holocaust & genocide studies in physical and digital formats for use by students, faculty, and the general public.
The Floridiana Collection contains monographs, maps, manuscripts, photographs, printed ephemera and realia relating to Florida's history and culture, especially the Tampa Bay region. Particular strengths include Ybor City's immigrant experience and cigar art and artifacts, such as original lithographers' stones, progressive books and labels.
USF Libraries house an important American children's book collection, especially rich in 19th-century literature, 20th-century series books, dime novels, "toy" and chapbooks and early schoolbooks. A colorful and charming group of McLoughlin Bros. chromolithographed picture books forms a high point.
The Rare Book Collection ranges from a 4,000-year-old Sumerian clay tablet to modern fine press books. Costume and botanical books, early printed books, marine science titles, miniature books and leaves from illuminated manuscripts distinguish the extensive collection.
The Libraries' archival holdings comprise USF, political, literary and historical papers from individuals and organizations. Highlights are the papers of Florida governor LeRoy Collins, civil rights leader Robert W. Saunders, Jr., science fiction writers Piers Anthony, Harry Harrison and Mike Resnick, and Ybor City mutual aid societies, as well as two important Second Seminole War diaries.
The Music Collection, another significant area of specialization, offers researchers opportunities to explore African American, Florida and 19th-century sheet music, early songsters and hymnals and the Suchoff/Antokoletz Collection of Bartokiana.
The newly established Holocaust & Genocide Studies Center collection focuses on 20th- and 21st-century events in Europe and Africa and includes monographs, manuscripts, photographs, maps, artwork, and other modern and contemporary materials that document genocide's causes, public and mental health ramifications, and efforts to stop and punish those responsible.
Special & Digital Collections includes state-of-the-art digitization equipment. Wide-format and film scanners, digital cameras, audio and video computer hardware and other equipment enable on-line access to a thousands of documents and images.
Donation Form If you wish to donate a collection to the USF Tampa Library Special Collections Department, this form provides useful information.
DONORFORM2009SpecColl.pdf (198.1 KBs)
Grace Allen Room Usage Policy and Reservation Form, 2008-2009 If you represent a USF organization and would like to reserve the Tampa Library's Grace Allen Room for a USF-sponsored event, please see the usage policy and reservation form. Please note that beginning Spring 2009, the GAR can no longer accommodate evening programs.
20092010GARagreement.doc (44.5 KBs)
List of Appraiser and Conservator Organizations The Special Collections Department does not appraise books or other library items. As a service to the community, we have provided information on frequently asked questions about rare and older books and their values as well as a list of organizations that contain the names of individual appraisers and conservators.
Appraisal_Listing.pdf (93.3 KBs)
Research Agreement Form Upon their first visit to the Special Collections Department, all patrons are asked to read and sign a research agreement form. The policies and procedures in place in the department seek to balance access to the collections with preservation.
This functionality is only available when logged in or connected to the USF network. 
