Special Collections News

The University of Georgia’s Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library takes a closer look at Georgia’s incarceration history in the new exhibit The New South and New Slavery: Convict Labor in Georgia, now on display at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. The display examines the forced labor of prisoners in the state from the beginnings of the convict lease system in the 19thcentury until the abolition of the chain gang in 1945.

As players and fans prepare for the kickoff of the University of Georgia’s football season, the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library plans to revisit recent program history in the new exhibit Beautiful and Brutal: Georgia Bulldogs Football, 2017. The display will open Friday, Aug. 30, at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries at the University of Georgia.

There are some moments in history that become powerful touchstones, revisited to reflect and inform a better understanding of the present day. The Russell Library has developed a periodic exhibit series, Now and Then, to revisit pivotal years in modern American history. This summer we invite you to travel back to 1979!

Virginia Eubanks, Rachel Devlin, and Vanessa Siddle Walker are the 2019 recipients of the Lillian Smith Book Awards. An award ceremony will take place at the Center for the History of the Book on Sunday, Sept. 1st at 2:30 p.m. 

The Southern Regional Council established the Lillian Smith award after Smith's 1966 death. Internationally acclaimed as author of the controversial novel, Strange Fruit (1944), Lillian Smith was the most outspoken of white, mid-20th century Southern writers on issues of social and racial injustice. Today the University of Georgia, the Georgia Center for the Book and Piedmont College join the SRC in presenting the awards. 

The University of Georgia’s Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library will take a closer look at Georgia’s carceral history in the new exhibit The New South and New Slavery: Convict Labor in Georgia, opening July 26 at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. The display examines the forced labor of prisoners in the state from the start of the convict lease system in 1868 until the abolition of the chain gang in 1945.

Poet Coleman Barks has spent the past sixty years exploring the possibilities of American ecstatic poetry. His life and work is the subject of a new exhibition, Praying Aloud in Public: The Papers of Coleman Barks, opening in the Rotunda Gallery of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries on Friday, May 24.

Born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Barks studied English literature at University of California, Berkeley, and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before joining the faculty of the University of Georgia in 1967. He taught at UGA until his retirement in 1997.

The University of Georgia’s Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library will be hitting the road this summer with a traveling exhibit of materials from the UGA Athletic Association Archive.  Jason Hasty, UGA Athletics History Specialist for the Hargrett Library, will bring historic materials to several public libraries in east and central Georgia.“This is a great chance for everyone to see materials – uniforms, equipment, photographs –  that represent UGA’s rich athletics heritage”, said Hasty.  “I’m especially excited that this travelling exhibit will feature a mix of older artifacts as well as some items donated from our recent student-athletes and teams.” 

The stories of ordinary children who faced extraordinary circumstances can inspire children today to fight discrimination and intolerance. The Power of Children: Making a Difference, a new exhibition opening April 6th at Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies explores the lives of Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, and Ryan White and their impact in making a positive difference in the world.

Congratulations to our folks who recently received National Endowment for the Humanities grants.

We were delighted to learn that the UGA Press and its partners (including Hargrett and DLG) will receive an NEH/Mellon Open Book Grant for the Georgia Open History Library. This project, in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the United States, will allow for the digitization and creation of freely-accessible ebooks for 50 titles on the history of Georgia.

The Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies will receive funds for the exhibit "NEH on the Road: Power of Children."

This April the Richard B. Russell Library invites attendees to dive into several topical, hot-button political issues during its annual Civic Knowledge, Civic Power series. This program seeks to bolster civic knowledge on campus and in the community by highlighting the critical role Congress plays in American politics and government. The series features short lectures and informal discussions led by faculty members from the UGA Department of Political Science as well as a keynote lecture delivered by Boston College Professor of History Dr. Heather Cox Richardson.