USF Libraries’ program partners, donors, staff, and faculty have created several exhibits that highlight the Tampa campus library’s digital collections that focus on environmental studies. These exhibits work to provide additional context and connect digital resources to tell the full story of events that have shaped the Florida environment.
Explore these fascinating exhibits below!
Florida Environment and Natural History Collections
This virtual tour is designed to introduce the University of South Florida Libraries Florida Environment and Natural History (FLENH) initiative. View Exhibition
Robert Porter Allen: Whooping Cranes
This exhibit examines the life and work of ornithologist Robert Porter Allen through his papers, which are housed in the University of South Florida Libraries Special Collections. For descriptive text, this exhibit quotes freely from Kathleen Kaska’s excellent biography, The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story. View Exhibition
Robert Porter Allen: North American Wading Birds
In this map project, we have visualized a series of bird surveys taken in the state of Florida from 1953-1959. The surveys are part of the Robert Porter Allen Papers on location at the the University of South Florida Tampa Library Special Collections. View Exhibition
The Tampa Bay Estuary
Many prominent water scientists with decades of experience in the science and politics of ecology are retiring from active employment in Florida. The state’s historical memory has been vastly enriched by recording and preserving their stories. Generously funded by TECO Energy, this oral history project curates the memories of many of the bay’s most important stewards. View Exhibition
ELAPP History Project
The Jan K. Platt Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP) is a citizen-led effort to preserve natural areas in Hillsborough County, Florida. It began as a local response to rapid development and habitat loss, and continues to preserve wildlife corridors in a highly urbanized region. Discover how Jan Platt and other visionaries started a program to protect natural Florida. View Exhibition
Florida Water: History of Reliance, Abuse, and Restoration
Water is an all-important topic in the past, present, and future of Florida. In many ways, water defined Florida at every stage of its history. This exhibit traces humanity’s slow and often reluctant realization that Florida’s natural resources are unique and irreplaceable. With control of Florida’s resources comes responsibility and stewardship. The future health of Florida’s water is ultimately determined by how we behave today. View Exhibition