Special Collections and University Archives

Unlike books, documents do not have tables of contents or indexes. To aid researchers using collections, archivists create finding aids that describe the collections. The finding aid includes:

• Size of the collection
• Date range of the documents
• Where the collection came from
• Historic or biographic note
• Description of collection arrangement
• Detailed box and folder listing of the contents of the collection

UNF has digital finding aids in ArchivesSpace, which is a searchable database.

ArchivesSpace is a database for UNF Special Collections and University Archives finding aids. Clicking on “Home” at any time brings up the search bar.

• For those familiar with UNF collections using the search bar is a good place to start for locating materials
• The drop-down menu allows basic searches by keyword, title, creator, subject, notes, or identifier to refine results; searches can be further limited by date
• The search bar feature pulls from all the UNF finding aids in ArchivesSpace so results may include multiple collections

• For users not familiar with UNF collections or for those looking for a specific collection, searching using the “Collections” tab is a good option
• Click “Collections” for an alphabetical list of finding aids. Each item listed has a brief description. Click on the collection title for the finding aid
• The column to the right of the list allows further filtering

UNF Digital Commons is a repository that houses digital copies of many items in Special Collections and University Archives as well as born-digital collections. Unlike finding aids, the items in Digital Commons are scans or images of representative items from the collections that can be viewed online. Not all collections are currently available, but new content is continually being added.

• Click on the “Archives & Special Collections” tile located under “Browse Collections”

• To search for materials by collections click on the “Archives & Special Collections” tile

• Choose either “Special Collections” or “UNF History from the University Archives”
• Special Collections are listed alphabetically by collection name and University Archives collections are listed alphabetically by topic
• Click the collection link to see a list of items that can be viewed online
• There is a search bar located on the upper left of each screen and keyword terms can be added to refine the search
• Searches can be refined by entering search terms using the search bar located to the left of the collections list

• To view an individual item, click the link then click the blue “Download” button to the right of the item description
• The item opens as a PDF and can be saved as a study copy.
• For uses other than scholarly study, please contact lib-special@unf.edu for permission to use the item. Larger image files in TIFF or JPEG format are available for publication or exhibit use. Please see UNF Digital Commons and SelectedWorks for more search tips.

Below are suggested Internet sites for research on Jacksonville and Florida history.

• Jacksonville History Center
  This is an excellent site for searching for Jacksonville, Florida and Northeast Florida regional historical information.
• Jacksonville Public Library Special Collections
  Check out the history collections available on Jacksonville Public Library Special Collections website. Some of their Family and Local History collections include African American History Community Archive, the Florida Times-Union Editorial Archive, and the Neighborhood Collection.
• Florida History Online
  A digital archive of textual and visual documents of Florida history produced by students and faculty at the University of North Florida, under the direction of Dr. Daniel Schafer, Professor Emeritus of History.
• Florida Memory Project
  Selections of primary records from the Florida State Archives, chronicling the cultural, economic, and political development of Florida.
• Florida Heritage Collection / PALMM
  PALMM is an ongoing cooperative digital project of the State University Libraries in Florida. This online collection provides web access to rare and unique materials representing Florida’s history, culture, arts, literature, and sciences.
• Library of Congress Digital Collections
  The Library of Congress Digital Collections include the Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections, 1937-1942 which provides access to 376 sound recordings and 106 accompanying materials.
• Digital Public Library of America
  Search “Jacksonville, Florida” on this website for over 15,000 images, texts, sound and moving images available from other institutions.