Welcome
Special Collections supports scholarly research, enhances teaching, and preserves USF and Florida history through a series of deep University and community partnerships. With a strong focus on local and regional records, artifacts, and publications, Special Collections is also home to numerous collections of national and international prominence that describe and contextualize diverse experiences from the 1500s to the present day. Special Collections acquires and makes available for use materials of enduring research value in the following areas: Florida studies, USF university archives, Environmental studies, LGBTQ+ studies, Journalism, Children’s and young adult literature, and Civil Rights. Interested in donating? View our consolidated collection development guidelines.
Strategic Collections
Florida Environment & Natural History (FLENH)
A central repository for environmental and natural history data, providing sustainable institutional support for the ingest, creation, and distribution of archival and secondary research resources centered on the impacts to, and effects on, Florida’s natural environment.
The USF Herbarium
Established in 1958, the USF Herbarium acquires, preserves, and makes accessible for research and curricular use several significant collections. It is one of the largest herbaria in the United States and the second largest in Florida.
Florida Studies
Extensive holdings that promote interdisciplinary teaching and research to help the Tampa Bay Community develop a better understanding of Florida’s past, present, and future.
University Archives
Materials that document the administrative and intellectual history of the University of South Florida.
LGBTQ+
Historically significant lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer materials that document LGBTQ+ history, culture, politics, community relations, and public health.
Children’s and Young Adult Literature
Over 25,000 titles of American fiction for children and adolescents, dating from the early 1800s to the present. This collection provides the opportunity to study the evolving culture and sociology of American adolescents through the literature written for them.