News & Blog

Archival materials from Special Collections & University Archives were featured in the first episode of Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s documentary The Vietnam War. This episode, titled “Déjà vu (1858-1961),” looks at events in Vietnam leading up to the Vietnam War. The filmmakers used several photographs from the “Archimedes L.A. Patti Research Papers, 1922-1993.” From the Patti collection’s finding aid:

This collection contains the research materials collected by Archimedes L. A. Patti for use in his historical writings. Known for his military career, his work in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and his relationship with Ho Chi Minh, Patti was recognized later in life as a respected researcher and historian on Indochina affairs. Notes, manuscripts, ephemera, photographs, maps, books and scrapbooks are held in this collection. Of important note are photographs given to Patti by Ho Chi Minh in 1945.

The collection includes photographs given to Archimedes Patti by Ho Chi Minh, then Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, documenting famine condition in Vietnam in 1945. Additionally, Patti wrote Why Viet Nam?: Prelude to America’s Albatross, published by the University of California Press in 1980.

Edit on 12/13/2017: We were happy to hear that The Vietnam War won the AFI Special Award. Learn more here.

Due to Hurricane Irma, the scheduled artist’s talk by Glenn “Marty” Stein for Wednesday, September 13th is cancelled. It will be rescheduled later in the semester. (more…)

Every year, the UCF faculty and staff community donate to the Believe campaign. The campaign benefitted all colleges, departments, and initiatives on campus, as well as funding services that provide direct help to students, like Knights Helping Knights Pantry, and scholarships like First Generation Scholarships and the Libraries’ June Stillman Scholarship. The 21st Century Library building fund was also a beneficiary of Believe.

To encourage participation, our own David Benjamin, head of Special Collections, selflessly offered to go blonde if the library increased their participation to 51%.

The totals are in: the UCF Libraries had a 59% participation rate this year! We are proud to have helped UCF donate a total of over one million dollars to many worthy causes.

David’s new look has not changed his enthusiasm for Special Collections and Archives (SCUA). Check out the display on the 5th floor of the John C. Hitt Library, Recollections of a Cartoonist: The Glenn “Marty” Stein Collection of Cartoon Art, 1955-2013 to sample some of SCUA’s excellent work. And if you spot David Benjamin, ask him if it’s true blondes have more fun.

Special Collections & University Archives latest exhibit, “Recollections of a Cartoonist: The Glenn “Marty” Stein Collection of Cartoon Art, 1955-2013,” features a selection of drawings, sketches, political cartoons, and comic strips from the “Glenn “Marty” Stein Collection of Cartoon Art, 1955-2013.” Based on Stein’s unpublished manuscript, “Recollections of a Cartoonist: Creating in Different World,” the exhibit includes examples of Stein’s work from the 1970s through 2008.

Stein, a Florida native, drew editorial cartoons from 1999 to 2008 for three Orlando area publications, the Orlando Business Journal, The Apopka Chief, and the Spanish-language paper La Prensa. Stein’s editorial cartoons tackled issues the nation and the world were debating at the turn of the millennium, including immigration, civil rights, and political corruption – many of which are still relevant today. In addition to political cartoons, Stein also created a number of gag cartoons and comic strips, several of which are included in the exhibit. In 2009, Stein gave up cartooning to focus on writing and lecturing about polar history.

The Special Collections & University Archives’ exhibit space is located on the fifth floor of the John C. Hitt Library. The exhibit will be up through July 2017.

The UCF Libraries Special Collections & University Archives is pleased to announce the UCF Student Book Arts Competition Exhibit. Each year since 2005, Special Collections & University Archives invites UCF students to submit one of a kind books called artist books. Unlike traditional books, artist books are handmade to reflect personal artistic visions of their creators ranging from narrative storytelling through writing, drawing, painting, printmaking, and/or photography. The UCF Student Book Arts Competition Exhibit is a showcase of all entries created during the 2016 academic calendar year including past winners.

We are pleased to announce our winner is Jessica McRory for her artist’s book “Familiar”. The winner was selected based on creativity, craftsmanship, content, and design from our three judges – book artists Peter and Donna Thomas, and UCF Libraries Special Collections & University Archives Department Head David Benjamin. Jessica McRory won a purchase award for her artist book to be included in the permanent Book Arts & Typography Collections at Special Collections & University Archives. To celebrate the innovative work of all the participants, the UCF Student Book Arts Competition Exhibit will be on display during the month of February 2017 in the exhibition area on the 5th Floor of the John C. Hitt Library.