JU's Special Collections Department Teaches Students the Value of Primary Sources

Located in the book-lined walls of the Swisher Library is a wealth of resources that spans centuries and mediums. Housing one-of-a-kind materials and Jacksonville University archives, the Special Collections department exists to connect students and community members with engaging historical research that fosters critical literacy skills and connects students to University history.

Jacksonville University's Special Collections department is led by Hope Scheff, who works with students and staff to fulfill materials requests, meets with classes to review primary sources and has taken on the herculean task of cataloguing and digitizing more than a hundred years of historical materials from across Northeast Florida and beyond.

"Archives are safe spaces that encourage discovery, creativity, and critical interrogation of information. Archival collections preserve people's stories and lived experiences as expressed in their own words," says Scheff.

Special Collections consists of manuscript, audiovisual, artifactual, rare book, and other materials that support JU curriculums and preserve local history. Popular Collections within Special Collections include the Delius Association of Florida Collection, the Carita Doggett Corse Collection, the George W. Burrows Letters Collection, the William Barnes Hoskins Collection, the Rare Book Collection and more. In her time at the University, Scheff has worked to create finding aids that make the collections navigable to students and staff and support the University's broad range of hands-on learning curriculums.

"The versatility of the information and values embedded in archival materials makes them so compelling," says Scheff. "Our collections are so unique because they present an engaging saga of the interwoven developments of JU, the city of Jacksonville and the individual lives of our donors and primary collection subjects."

Navigating the historical materials available through the Special Collections department helps students develop the rigorous research skills necessary to navigate the evolving information landscape at play in today's workforce. Primary sources are hard things to come by these days, but the Swisher Library is brimming with them, and they're critical to helping students learn to investigate bias, verify information and trace sources.

"Browsing through archival photos, turning the pages of historic magazines and reading handwritten letters are valuable experiences that catalyze research into ideation," said Zakriya Rabani, Director of Fine Arts Operations at JU. "With the help of Special Collections, my student workers have been able to navigate and source information about the University's history, as tasked or on their own accord, helping them gain a better understanding of JU and their own role at the University."

Using the materials available in the University's Special Collections helps students travel through time in a way that brings the context of history to life in their education.

Explore the Special Collections page

Browse the Collection Finding Aids