University Archives & Special Collections

Passport to Past 2023

Visit at least 4 of the participating institutions from October 1-31, 2023 and bring your completed Passport to the University Archives & Special Collections, located on the 3rd floor of the David L. Rice Library, by Noon on Tuesday October 31sr to be entered in a drawing for a $25.00 gift card and Archive swag. 

Drawing will be held in the Archives at 4:00pm on Tuesday October 31st.

To learn more about places to explore, go to amUSIngartifacts.org, LINK

Download your Passport or pick one up at the Archives, 3rd floor of the David L. Rice Library

Archives Madness

• 2023
  • Archives Madness participants included University Archives and Special Collections, Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, John James Audubon Museum, Willard Library, Working Men’s Institute, Peters-Margedant House (UE), University of Evansville Archives, and the Newburgh Museum.
    • Voting starts March 13, 2023 at AmUSIngartifacts
    • Download the bracket at the top of the page
• 2022
  • Archives Madness participants included University Archives and Special Collections, Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, John James Audubon Museum, USI Art Collection, USI Lawrence Library, The Evansville Wartime Museum, Willard Library, and Working Men’s Institute. The Wartime Museum’s “Hoosier Spirit II,” a Republic Aviation P-47 Thunderbolt, a WWII fighter plane manufactured in Evansville.
• 2021
  • The 2021 version of Archives Madness included entries from Evansville Museum of Arts, History, and Science, John James Audubon Museum, Reitz Home Museum, University of Evansville’s University Archives in Bower-Suhrheinrich Library/Clifford Memorial Library, Working Men’s Institute, Historic New Harmony, USI Art Collection/ McCutchan Art Center/Pace Galleries at the College of Liberal Arts, and the University Archives & Special Collections at the University of Southern Indiana. The winner was University of Evansville’s English Teapot.
• 2020
  • The competition expanded this year to include seven additional partners: Newburgh Museum, Evansville Museum of Arts, History, and Science, John M. Lawrence Library, John James Audubon Museum, University of Southern Indiana World Languages and Cultures Department, University of Evansville’s University Archives in Bower-Suhrheinrich Library/Clifford Memorial Library, Working Men’s Institute, and the University Archives & Special Collections at the University of Southern Indiana. The winner was University of Evansville’s “Silk Tapestry.”
• 2019
  • In collaboration with Susan Sauls (art registrar of the USI Art Collection and Lawrence Library), Tom Lonnberg (Evansville Museum), and Pat Sides (Willard Library), completed against the University Archives and Special Collections. Similar to the previous two years, each institution was divided into regions. The winner was Lord Byron's Dueling Pistols from the Evansville Museum (defeating Cook Brewery Beer Bottles from the University Archives and Special Collections).
• 2018
  • In collaboration with Susan Sauls, art registrar of the USI Art Collection and Lawrence Library, completed against the University Archives and Special Collections. Similar to the previous year, there were four "regions". The winner was the Incantation Bowl (defeating the 2017 winner, the 1603 Book of Alchemy).
• 2017
  • Similar to the NCAA tournament, sixteen artifacts from the University Archives and Special Collections competed to win the title of "USI's Coolest Artifact". There were four "regions" reflecting the department's collecting areas: Communal, Regional, Special, and University. The winner was the 1603 Book of Alchemy (defeating "The Ultimate Frontier" painting).
• 2016
  •  Students, faculty/staff, and members of the public had a photograph taken with a life-size photograph of USI's tallest athlete, John Hollinden, holding ISUE/USI athletic memorabilia.