Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies

In a landmark donation that underscores the importance of Latino voices in Southern history, Mundo Hispanico/MundoNOW —Georgia’s longest-standing Spanish-language news organization—has gifted its complete print archives to the University of Georgia’s Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies.

The collection, representing over 40 years of uninterrupted publication from 1979 to the present, provides an extraordinary, detailed chronicle of Latino life, leadership, and community-building in Georgia and the Southeast. As a primary news source for Spanish-speaking residents for decades, Mundo Hispanico offered vital information, advocacy, and cultural affirmation to generations of immigrant families and new Americans.

Deborah Blum, celebrated author of The Poisoner’s Handbook and The Poison Squad, will return to Athens, where her investigative journalism career began, for a discussion about the science and safety of food.

The Sept. 23 event, which has been designated as a University of Georgia Signature Lecture, will serve as Blum’s induction into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame, as well as the annual Food, Power, and Politics Lecture sponsored by the Russell Library for Political Research and Studies.

University of Georgia Associate Provost & University Librarian Toby Graham has announced the appointment of Dr. Ashton Ellett as the director of the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies.

Ellett, who has served as the Russell Library’s politics and public policy archivist since 2018, will also oversee the Georgia Capitol Museum in Atlanta as part of his new role. He succeeds Sheryl Vogt, who recently retired after marking 50 years with the Russell Library, one of three special collections units within the University of Georgia Libraries.

Three decades after the original photography exhibit toured the South, David Zeiger’s Displaced in the New South is on display at the University of Georgia Special Collections Libraries. 

The exhibit traces the stories of Asian and Hispanic immigrant communities in Metro Atlanta in the mid-1990s, featuring quotes from individuals featured in Zeiger’s documentary of the same name. Through black-and-white photographs, negatives, and other artifacts, the exhibit documents the region’s shifting demographics and emerging communities through the experiences of immigrant families.  

Nine­ University of Georgia faculty members have been chosen as 2025 Special Collections Faculty Teaching Fellows, a program designed to help instructors creating active learning courses that allow students to engage with UGA Libraries’ archival materials.

The new cohort reaches a broad spectrum of academic areas, from African American Studies, history, music, religion, Spanish, to geography, political science, and statistics.

“We are delighted to welcome our 10th cohort into the Special Collections Libraries Faculty Teaching Fellows program,” said university librarian and associate provost Toby Graham. “Since 2015, SCL Fellows have developed about 100 archives-based courses and reached thousands of students with hands-on experiences that embody UGA’s commitment to active learning.”

The 2025 Special Collections Faculty Teaching Fellows are: 

This April, the University of Georgia Libraries will mark Congress Week with events featuring a former senator and political journalists.

Congress Week is an annual program sponsored by the Associations of Centers for the Study of Congress. The Russell Library, which celebrated its 50^th anniversary last year, is a founding member of the association. 

“Through our Congress Week programming, the Russell Library seeks to promote a better public understanding of Congress as the branch of government closest to the people,” said Russell Library Director Sheryl Vogt. “Focusing on civic education, the two events this year will give us perspective from a former Member of Congress and observations from two experienced political journalists.”

An author and historian will discuss his latest book at the building where he researched the true story of Margaret “Muriel” White Seherr-Thoss, an American wife of a Prussian count who saved a Jewish family during World War II.

 Richard Hutto will share his research and writing process for The Countess and the Nazis: An American Family’s Private War, published in February by Lyons Press. The event is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, at the University of Georgia Special Collections Libraries Building.

New parking procedures are in place for visiting researchers and gallery patrons at the UGA Special Collections Libraries Building.

For those community members planning to use the Hull Street Deck before 5 p.m., please consider contacting us in advance at 706-542-6331 or sclib@uga.edu  for a one-time code to enter into the deck’s payment station. Otherwise, code access will be available at the building’s front desk, but patrons must return to the parking deck to enter their information before returning to the building.

Parking validation codes are not available for UGA faculty, staff, and students, but they may pay to park at the Hull Street Deck after 1 p.m. or take advantage of hourly parking at the nearby Tate Center Deck.

Information for visitors can be found at https://www.libs.uga.edu/scl/visit

Visitors to the new Akins Ford Arena at the Classic Center in Athens can explore Georgia music history, thanks to a new display installed Dec. 19 by the University of Georgia Special Collections Libraries.

On a larger-than-life video board, The B-52s member and Athens resident Cindy Wilson welcomes visitors to peruse the memorabilia on display, representing more than 200 legendary artists, from Whisperin’ Bill Anderson to Run the Jewels. 

Display cases share memories of concerts, stories about the recording process, fan merchandise and interactions, behind-the-scenes moments, and more. For example, a cold medicine bottle Duane Allman used to make his distinctive slide guitar sounds is on display alongside the Gibson Les Paul he played while recording “Statesboro Blues.”

December deadlines are approaching for UGA Libraries services that will aid in instruction of your Spring 2025 classes.

Libraries Course Reserves

The UGA Libraries’ course reserves services help faculty to provide students with easy, no-cost access to readings and supplementary course materials personalized to class curricular needs whether through electronic materials that can be integrated into eLC or through physical items that can be held on reserve at one of our library locations.