Collections

The Degen Resource Room has an extensive historic playbill collection. The collection consists of playbills of productions from all over the world beginning in 1873. The Degen Resource Room is continuing to catalog this massive collection, so the entire scope of this collection cannot yet be assessed. However, it is estimated that we hold one of the premiere playbill collections in the nation. As cataloging continues to take place, we will be able to ascertain the extent of this very special and unique collection.

The materials in this collection tell the history of the Fine Arts programs at Florida Southern College since 1923.

The papers of Dr. Charles S. Mahan primarily consist of correspondence (memoranda, letters, and emails), grey literature, data sets, administrative documents, publications, and newspaper clippings. The bulk of the collection reflects Mahan's various professional roles in reducing Florida's infant mortality rate, increasing access to proper nutrition for mothers and infants, and educating public health professionals and midwives. Other documents emphasize his tenure at the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (now, Florida Department of Health), the University of Florida, and the University of South Florida.

The Emmanuel George Collection contains correspondence, photographs, printed materials, certificates, short videos and artwork related to African Americans in Broward County, Florida. Correspondence contains cards written to Emmanuel George about his internships with Encore and the Lake Wales Public Library African American Archives Project. Crispus Attucks High School materials include a yearbook, student report cards, commencement programs, and class reunions. Photographs display African American individual and group portraits in Broward County. Printed materials include newspaper articles about African American neighborhoods in Broward County, specifically Hollywood, an African American Research Library and Cultural Center brochure, signed Legacy of Broward trading cards, funeral programs, and a magazine article featuring Emmanuel George at Sistrunk-A-Fair. Awards includes a certificate from the City of Miami awarded to Emmanuel George for his participation as a featured artist in the "Reimagine the Neighborhood" campaign in April 2022. Paintings of African Americans include the following: Tamara James, Attucks High School alumni (30 x 30), Kitty Oliver (36 x 36), Cannonball Adderley, Dr. James Sistrunk, and Esther Rolle.

The University Galleries-FAU Collection documents the activities of the Ritter Gallery and the Schmidt Center Gallery between 1973 and 2009. It contains the initial proposal for the creation of the Ritter Gallery and documentation on the later development of the Schmidt Center Gallery. The bulk of the collection centers on the annual exhibition and programming schedule of and for student, faculty and general exhibitions. There is also information on earlier exhibition spaces in the S.E. Wimberly Library. Materials in the collection are a mix of text and images, and includes correspondence, memoranda, letters, press releases, newspaper clippings, catalogs for faculty, student and general exhibitions, and related printed matter. There is also documentation on campus public art and artist files. Among other formats scattered throughout the collection are photographs, slides and negatives.