Special Collections News

Bulldog fans from every corner of Georgia can relive the history of University of Georgia athletics this summer. Sports memorabilia and other artifacts will be on display at local libraries as part of the “UGA Athletics in Your Town” tour, featuring a traveling exhibit of materials from the UGA Libraries archives.

Featured in the traveling exhibit is the famed “Silver Chalice,” the oldest piece in the UGA Athletics archive. The trophy was awarded to the Georgia football team in 1894 — before they were known as the Bulldogs — after a victory over Auburn University. In addition to tickets and a program from the first game played at Sanford Stadium in 1929, visitors can get a look at a hand-written playbook from the Wally Butts era and football helmets from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1980s. Plus, the exhibit will include memorabilia from UGA’s baseball, women’s tennis, and track & field teams.

This summer, work will begin on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems at the Main and McBay Science Libraries at the University of Georgia. Once complete, the projects will enhance the comfort of study spaces at two of UGA’s largest and busiest study facilities.

Due to the construction, patrons can expect noise and disruptions throughout the summer, with the work at the Main Library expected to extend into the fall semester. Some shelving areas will be closed or restricted during construction, but materials may be requested online or through the service desk for pickup at a convenient location.

UGA student researchers earned top honors in this year’s Libraries Undergraduate Research Award with reflections on their work that show off their creativity, from collages that tell a story to projects that solve mysteries. 

After saving researchers more than $2 million in 2025, UGA Libraries’ open access publishing agreements are expanding even further this year.

A newly signed read-and-publish agreement with publisher Taylor & Francis brings the list of open access publishing opportunities at UGA to more than 9,000 journal titles across 14 scholarly publishers. 

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.

With tools like virtual reality headsets and 3D printers, the University of Georgia’s inaugural Creative Engagement Fellows are designing active learning experiences that immerse students in a full sensory understanding of subjects from anthropology to engineering.

Twenty fellows across nine schools and colleges began working in February to engage with technologies in the new Creative Engagement Wing at the Miller Learning Center to create hands-on assignments students will never forget.

Award-winning writers whose poems, novels, and plays have been lauded across the country have been named to the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame, based at the University of Georgia Libraries.

The inductee class of 2026 honors Alice Friman, Charlie Smith, and Shay Youngblood. The three writers' literary legacies have been felt across the Peach State, from Friman’s tenure at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville to Smith’s roots in Moultrie and Youngblood’s connections to Atlanta.

Emily Gore, deputy university librarian at the University of Georgia, has been elected to serve as the new chair of the steering committee for SPARC, an international coalition of research libraries and institutions that supports open systems for research and education.

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.