Check out the new interface for the Rice Library Digital Archives!
The UASC digital collections contains over 65,000 digitized images and documents about the history of the University of Southern Indiana (USI), formerly Indiana State University Evansville (ISUE), as well as the history of Evansville, Indiana and the Midwest Region, along with various communal groups in the United States and around the world.
In the summer of 1972 the Lilly Endowment, Inc. of Indianapolis, Indiana awarded Indiana State University Evansville a three-year grant to establish an archival project for the acquisition, preservation and processing of regional material. At the end of the third year the University was to assume responsibility for continuing the growth of the Special Collections. When co-directors Josephine Elliot, Archivist, and Darrel Bigham, University History Professor, established the Special Collections/University Archives Department, they started with just a few regional history books on Indiana from the general collection of the library. By 1993, the collection has grown to over 2,700 books, 495 audio and video tapes, and 315 manuscript collections. Today, the University Archives and Special Collection has over 850 unique collections, 800 oral history interviews, 6,500 rare and unique books, and 30,000 digital resources.
The University Archives and Special Collections was housed in the lower level of the old library facility from 1983 to 2006, at which time the new David L. Rice Library was opened, and the Archives got a new home on the third floor, with full facilities to house and preserve the collections. Our archives consist of four unique areas of collecting and preservation: University Archives, Special Collections, Regional History, and Communal Studies.
For more interesting stories about the collections and information on events, follow us at amUSIngartifacts.com.
UASC supports the David L. Rice Library mission statement in addition to being committed to acquiring and preserving material about the development and the operations of the University. It has a secondary mission to preserve regional history, focusing on the southwestern region of Indiana. The department is dedicated to preservation and organization of materials for the purpose of research.
UASC will accept materials relating to the history and development of the University of Southern Indiana.
UASC will evaluate for possible acceptance of personal collections if the materials are related to regional history, with historical importance due to content or persons. This may include but is not limited to personal papers, private library collections, photographs, oral histories, with proper documentation, family or business history from the area. Rare books, general items of local interest, or items deemed to have an educational value supporting either the library or the University's missions may be considered for addition to the collection.
Materials in the University Archives and Special Collections do not circulate outside of the department. Most materials can be photocopied with the approval of the Archives staff.
Materials contained in the University of Southern Indiana's University Archives and Special Collections at the David L. Rice Library may negatively depict race, gender, religious beliefs, ethnicities, and class. The David L. Rice library does not endorse the views expressed in these materials. We present the materials as they were originally created to promote scholarly research and analysis. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please let us know at archives.rice@usi.edu.
This work is licensed by the David L. Rice Library under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
