Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies

Twelve­ University of Georgia faculty members will reimagine historical pieces into active-learning opportunities for students as part of UGA’s Special Collections Faculty Teaching Fellows program, now in its 11^th year on campus.

While projects are in the beginning stages, the newest Special Collections Faculty Teaching Fellows are planning unique class activities in fields from English and history to international affairs, fashion, chemistry, and physics, incorporating a broad array of materials from the UGA Libraries three special collections departments.

University of Georgia faculty are invited to apply for seed grants that can fund humanities research projects that engage with the tools and resources available through the UGA Special Collections Libraries or Creative Engagement Wing at the Miller Learning Center.

The UGA Libraries’ Fairchild-Holcomb Awards for Innovation in the Humanities will fund two awards up to $5,000 each for summer salary, travel, supplies and student support costs that will assist in original research and outreach or instructional activities that share this new knowledge.

Unique Southern cuisine and book club worthy conversations are on the menu for a University of Georgia Libraries event, featuring influential cookbook authors from the state.  

“The Long Table: Southern Cooking, Memory, and Meaning,” will serve up food and discussions with award-winning food writers and chefs Valerie Frey, Nicole Taylor, and Virginia Willis, along with moderator Rebecca Lang. The panelists will share their secrets from the kitchen and provide tastes of their writing and recipes.  

The $25 event is scheduled for Thursday, March 12 at the UGA Special Collections Libraries Building. To register, visit our website. 

This article appears on UGA Today.

Muhammed Ali’s lighting of the Olympic cauldron in 1996 signaled the beginning of the Olympic Games — at the same moment, it launched Atlanta to the international stage. Thirty years later, a new exhibit at the University of Georgia Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries looks back on the formative moment in Georgia history and the marathon of preparations leading up to the opening ceremony that would secure the city’s future.

Researchers can now use a modernized search tool to find unique materials preserved at the University of Georgia Special Collections Libraries (SCL).

The updated technology allows for easier location of materials from hand-written journals, letters, and business ledgers, textiles, political papers, and other unique items from the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library and the Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. (A separate search tool is in place for the Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, the third unit comprising the UGA Special Collections Libraries.)

The revamped search tool known as SCLFind allows for more detailed descriptions and filtering of results, allowing researchers more insight into their searches.

To search for special collections materials, visit libs.uga.edu/scl/research/collections

T. Rogers Wade, distinguished University of Georgia alumnus, civic leader and longtime supporter of the UGA Libraries, died Dec. 7, leaving a lasting legacy marked by public service, philanthropy and leadership across the state.

This article appears on UGA Today

Alumnus, businessman and civic leader T. Rogers Wade has been named the 2025 recipient of the Dooley Friends of the UGA Libraries Award at the University of Georgia, an honor dedicated to the legacy of academic support from legendary Bulldog football coach Vince Dooley and his wife, Barbara.

The first major biography in 20 years on Jeannette Rankin, written by historian Lorissa Rinehart, was released on Election Day 2025. Winning the Earthquake (St. Martin’s Press, November 2025) reintroduces Rankin, the national icon and longtime Georgia resident, who defied all odds to be elected the first woman to serve in the U.S. Congress.

On Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 3 p.m., the annual Jeannette Rankin Legacy Lecture held at the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies at the University of Georgia will feature a conversation with Rinehart discussing Rankin’s legacy and how her fearless leadership shaped the women’s rights and peace movements of the 20th century. Winning the Earthquake will be for sale at the event, and Rinehart will be signing copies.

Building on their award-winning faculty fellows program, University of Georgia Libraries in partnership with the Office of Instruction and EITS will offer two opportunities for faculty to design new courses centered on unique resources that drive active learning and student engagement.

The Creative Engagement Wing Faculty Fellows program launches in the spring, preparing faculty to use the cutting edge spaces of the new MLC Creative Engagement Wing to facilitate student innovation, collaboration, and hands-on learning.

Former Los Angeles Times Publisher and CNN President Tom Johnson will discuss his new book Driven: A Life in Public Service and Journalism from LBJ to CNN as part of the University of Georgia’s Fall 2025 Signature Lecture series on Wednesday, October 29. The public conversation with Red and Black Executive Director Charlotte Varnum will begin at 4 p.m. at the UGA Special Collections Libraries Building, with a light reception and a book signing to follow.