Collections

The Book Arts Ephemera Collection is comprised of various materials related to the book arts community. Items from publishers, art exhibits, and persons involved with book arts are included.

Collection includes papers, articles, research and personal correspondence by Brian Peterson, professor of history at Florida International University.

The Bromeliad Society International (BSI) Archive consists of historical materials, including photographs related to cultivation of bromeliads; field notes related to the collection of bromeliads in the wild; list of plant entries in judged bromeliad shows; incoming and outgoing correspondence from early bromeliad growers; biographies; administrative records of the BSI such as, copyright registrations, copies of meeting minutes, annual reports, and bylaws; BSI publications; and ephemera, including posters and pins. The purpose of the BSI is to promote and maintain public and scientific interest in the research, development, preservation, and distribution of bromeliads, both natural and hybrid, throughout the world.

Materials collected by Bruce Ground documenting his life, business, and activism, 1966-2013. Included are documents, memorabilia, photographs, and other items donated by Bruce Ground. These items pertain to his business, personal life, projects, and general accomplishments and achievements. Born in 1962, Bruce Ground spent the first part of his life in Kentucky, living on his family farm. In 1985, Ground moved to Florida and became involved in the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), a local gay-friendly church in Tampa. It was there he met Marty Pelham, who helped Ground to open his first bookstore, Tomes & Treasures, with him 1987. Pelham left the store in 1990, leaving Ground to own and operate the store as the sole owner and manager. In 1992, Bruce Ground and Gary Bailey, Ground's partner, opened Out & About Books, Orlando's first gay and lesbian bookstore. After his partner's death, Ground continued to operate Out & About Books for another four years before its eventual closing on January 31st, 2001. As of 2023, Bruce Ground resides in Orlando, Florida.

Materials collected by Bruce Nissen documenting the United Faculty of Florida (UFF), 1978 – 2022. Included are UFF meeting materials, agendas, minutes, and reports; published materials, including newsletters, directories, union organizing guides, and collective bargaining agreements. Also included are United Faculty of Florida – Florida International University Executive Council Minutes and meeting materials.

The Burt Szabo music collection is comprised of sheet music of pieces Burtz Szabo collected, composed, arranged, and/or published. Albert Edward "Burt" Szabo, a composer, arranger, and music educator, was born in Ohio in 1931. He composed and published several pieces of music for barbershop quartets, choruses, schools, and churches. Szabo was a faculty member of the music department at the University of Central Florida (then Florida Technological University). He taught courses in music composition, music theory, and music calligraphy and created the melody and lyrics for the university's alma mater in 1974. A strong proponent of the barbershop musical style, Szabo worked for the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA) in Kenosha, Wisconsin as their Music Publications Editor from 1982 to 1992. He was inducted into the Barbershop Society Hall of Fame in 2009 and worked as an Arrangement judge for the Barbershop Harmony Society. His publications, such as the Barbershop Arranging Manual and his work on the Barbershop Harmony Society staff, cemented his long-lasting influence on the musical style. Szabo passed away in 2022.