Exhibitions

USF Libraries Digital Exhibits offer more than a decade of content curated by librarians, subject area experts, and visiting contributors. These robust presentations help to support teaching and learning, while encouraging further research. The exhibits highlight holdings from USF Special Collections, community partnerships, and the libraries’ strategic collecting areas from the past and present to appeal to a wide-range of viewers. From the history of Florida to environmental science and the horrors of the Holocaust, viewers can examine a variety of artifacts to connect with the past. Items on exhibit include digitized documents, oral histories, and photographs complemented by the insight of curators.

University of South Florida History

The University of South Florida: A Historic Overview
For such a young institution, the University of South Florida has a colorful and remarkable history of innovation and growth. View Exhibition
USF Forest Preserve
The University of South Florida Forest Preserve
This exhibit describes USF’s “unique resource” of 500 acres of wetland and sandhill habitat and the 2021 Request for Information to assess land development options. View Exhibition
Once Upon a Homecoming
Once upon a time in what would become Bulls Country. View Exhibition
Preeminent and Proud: An Oral History with Dr. Judy Genshaft
Learn about the life and legacy of USF’s 19-year president and her profound impact on the University and Tampa Bay communities. View Exhibition
A Tribute to Terrell Sessums: Public Servant, Champion of Education
An exhibit in honor of T. Terrell Sessums, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and friend of USF. View Exhibition
The “Witch Hunt” at USF
This exhibit introduces viewers to the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, also known as the Johns Committee. View Exhibition

Environmental Studies

Connecting Florida’s Future
An exploration of greenways across Florida and the University of South Florida. View Exhibition
The Audubon Florida Oral History Project
Recording the careers of those dedicated to conservation. View Exhibition
Parks, Sanctuaries, and Ecotourism
Explore the world of parks, sanctuaries, ecotourism in Tampa Bay and beyond. View Exhibition
Florida Ornithological Society
Celebrate the organization of the FOS with a flight through their archival collection and a glimpse at the people who made it possible. View Exhibition
Florida’s Great Hurricane
Throughout this exhibit, explore some of the most influential hurricanes to make landfall on Florida’s shores as captured in the archives. View Exhibition
#Creekshed
The #Creekshed community research project examines the human and natural stories about waterways that drain into Tampa Bay, Florida. View Exhibition
Florida Environment and Natural History Collections
This virtual tour is designed to introduce the University of South Florida Libraries Florida Environment and Natural History (FLENH) initiative. View Exhibition
Eyes on Piney Point: Florida Phosphate and the Environment
A history of the Florida phosphate industry and the Piney Point phosphate plant told through archival sources. View Exhibition
The Tampa Bay Estuary
Welcome to the Tampa Bay Estuary Oral History Project. View Exhibition
Bearing Witness from Above: Celebrating the Life and Work of George “Skip” Gandy
This exhibit draws from George “Skip” Gandy’s photograph collection and interviews conducted by librarian Andrew Huse. View Exhibition
Florida through the Looking Glass: The Photography of George “Skip” Gandy
Explore the commercial aerial photography of George “Skip” Gandy, which captured the unfettered development of Florida. View Exhibition
ELAPP History Project
Discover how Jan Platt and other visionaries started a program to protect natural Florida. View Exhibition
Robert Porter Allen: Whooping Cranes
Examine Robert Porter Allen’s legacy in saving the whooping crane. View Exhibition
History of Reliance, Abuse, and Restoration
Water is an all-important topic in the past, present, and future of Florida. View Exhibition
Saving Florida’s Flamingoes
The majestic flamingo was not always welcome in Florida. It was almost hunted to extinction in the early twentieth century, and until recently, was classified as non-native. Thanks in part to the power of libraries, the future for flamingoes is changing. View Exhibition

History and Humanities

#visibleUSF
This exhibition aspires to make visible the rich history and presence of Tampa Bay Area queer communities, activism, art, and people. View Exhibition
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated®
This exhibit curated by the Gamma Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated® commemorates and celebrates their 115 years of history. View Exhibition
Embracing Past & Future
To honor Hispanic Heritage Month 2020 and the national theme of “Be Proud of Your Past, Embrace the Future,” USF Libraries – Tampa Special Collections presents an introduction to their more than forty collections documenting the history of local Hispanic and Latin American communities. View Exhibition
The Dion Boucicault Theatre Collection
The USF Libraries Special Collections is home to the Dion Boucicault Theatre Collection, one of the largest publicly accessible collections of Boucicault materials in the world. View Exhibition
USF Department of Anthropology African Americans in Florida Project image
African American Experience in Florida
African American collections from the Special Collections departments at the USF Tampa Campus Library and USF Nelson Poynter Memorial Library in St. Petersburg. View Exhibition
Viking Towns
Examine the Viking’s legacy of towns and settlements across Europe. View Exhibition
A Century of American Political Cartoons
Art of the Poison Pens is a testament to the long-standing and vital role that the visual arts have played in the construction of an American political identity. View Exhibition
We Wanted Some Basic Human Rights
This web exhibition examines the history of the Civil Rights Movement in Tampa and its environs. View Exhibition
Burgert Brothers Ybor Collection
This map of Ybor City allows exploration of current day locations where historic photographs were taken by the famed Burgert Brothers. View Exhibition
1853 Survey Map Downtown Tampa
This map of downtown Tampa is aligned on top of a current satellite image allowing comparison and exploration. View Exhibition
Jazz in Florida
The Jazz in Florida Archive is an ongoing project to document and preserve Florida’s place in jazz history. View Exhibition
Greek Community Documentation Project
A USF Libraries collaboration with City of Tarpon Springs’ Greek Community Documentation Project. View Exhibition
Swing Along!
This exhibit was created to showcase a selection of music that was digitized from the USF Libraries African American Sheet Music Collection to celebrate African American History Month in 2019, and to illuminate the authors behind the music. View Exhibition
Five Hundred Years of Discovering Florida
This exhibit was prepared by eleven students from the USF Honors College. View Exhibition
Selling Sunshine: Florida’s Citrus Industry
This exhibit explores the history of Florida’s citrus industry through various materials held in Special Collections. View Exhibition
Florida Postcards Exhibit
The Florida Digital Postcard exhibit is a curated presentation of the digitized images from the Hampton Dunn Florida Postcard collection housed in the University of South Florida Libraries Special Collections. View Exhibition

Holocaust and Genocide

Oppenheimer Family
On the morning of December 8, 1941, the Nazi SS forced Erika Mannheimer View Exhibition
USF Armenian Studies
Armenian Studies at the USF Libraries Holocaust and Genocide Studies Center View Exhibition
Alicia Appleman-Jurman: Her Story and Beyond
Alicia Appleman-Jurman was only 11 years old when the Nazis invaded & occupied her homeland of Poland. View Exhibition
Portraying Courage: Holocaust Survivors in Voice & Image
In the Fall of 2010, the USF Tampa Library Department of Special and Digital Collections View Exhibition
Living a Genocide: The Children of Darfur
Children bear the brunt of any armed conflict and tend to be viewed as victims View Exhibition
Speaking Out About Genocide
Throughout the 20th century, genocides were perpetrated across the globe. View Exhibition