University Library News

Isabella Elg

As a freshman pursuing a double major in English and Communications with a concentration in Public Relations, Isabella contributed her skills to the America in the Depression Years Collection, President’s Collection, University Marketing and Communications, and the Kevin Erwin Environmental Collection. 

For the final project, Isabella presented a poster at the Symposium of Undergraduate Research and Internships (SURI) that reflected her internship experience.

Presley Long

 

 

 

 

Presley, a sophomore studying English with a minor in Creative Writing, immersed herself in the Mainsail Video Productions Inc. Collection, President’s Collection, and the Floridiana Collection throughout the semester.

For the final project, Presley wrote a Case Study regarding the digitization, metadata, and the use of ArchivesSpace with the postcards from the Floridiana Collection.

 

 

 

 

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Sierra Smith

 

 

 

 

As a senior majoring in Political Science with a minor in Gender Studies, Sierra furthered the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Collection and the Porecki Orchid Collection. 

For the final project, Sierra created a digital humanities project that maps orchid stamps from around the globe from the Porecki Orchid Collection. 

 

 

 

 

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Zephyr Wolfe  

 

 

 

 

Zephyr is a senior majoring in History and dedicated their time to the FGCU Athletics Collection, Oral History Collection, and the Sanibel Island Collection. For the final project, Zephyr designed a zine that reflected their internship experience. 

 

 

 

 

 

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As the semester comes to a close, the University Archives and Special Collections want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Isabella, Presley, Sierra, and Zephyr for their incredible contributions. Each student brought unique skills, perspectives, and dedication to their work, leaving a lasting impact on these collections.  

We are so proud of all that you have accomplished and wish each of you all the best in your future endeavors—you will always have a place in the archives community! ❤️ 

For more information about University Archives and Special Collections internships, please contact Emily Murray (eamurray@fgcu.edu). 

Why Keep Cookbooks? 

While it may seem unusual for us to collect cookbooks, there is a reason! Historic cookbooks can serve as small, delicious time capsules. They highlight the way that agriculture and our relationship with food has changed in a particular area based on the ingredients within the recipe. Vintage cookbooks can also tell the story of technological innovation by documenting the introduction and accessibility to tools like electric stoves, hand mixers and even air fryers. A lot about a community can be understood from what food its members eat, how they eat, and when they eat it. 

Try Some Vintage Recipes 

Below are two traditional recipes from Evelyn Luettich Horne. Born on Mound Key in 1922, Evelyn grew up in Lee County. Her grandmother was a member of the Koreshan Unity, and she lived through and saw the rapid changes to Southwest Florida before her death in 2007. Be sure to let us know if you try one and what you think of it. You can also visit University Archives and Special Collections on the third floor of the Wilson G. Bradshaw Library for more historic cookbooks and vintage recipes! 

Combine sauerkraut and undrained apples with brown sugar, vinegar, and onion. Dot with butter. Lay Kielbasa on top and cover with brown sugar and mustard. Bake uncovered at 400 for 40 minutes. Serves 6. 

 

 

Perfect Pecan Pie 

3 eggs 

2/3 cup sugar 

1/3 cup melted butter 

½ teaspoon salt 

1 cup light corn syrup 

1 cup pecans, shelled and halved (or chopped) 

 

Instructions 

Beat together all ingredients except the pecans with a hand mixer. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie crust and bake at 375 for 40 – 45 minutes until set.

 

On Monday, Nov. 18 (students), and Thursday, Nov. 21(faculty and staff) from 11 a.m. - noon, we will be hosting virtual town hall meetings that will discuss the ways AI is being used. 

We’re using this forum to understand what AI is being used for, what people's feelings are about it and what training needs to be done on campus. The information we gather will guide us in establishing future training and discussion opportunities.  

To inform our discussion, please consider taking the time to fill out the following brief survey: SURVEY. 

Please register on the library’s website (CLICK HERE). We hope you participate in this discussion, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts! 

The photo booth located across from Starbucks in Library East allows users to take passport photos, visa photos, portraits and more all at a low cost. 

Provided by Passport Photo Booth and DNP Photo Imaging, the photobooth is quick, easy and convenient. After users enter the photo booth and close the curtain for privacy, instructions for each specific photo are provided on the screen in front of them. 

Retakes are unlimited to ensure that users select a photo they are satisfied with. Payment occurs only after a photo is selected to be printed. All major credit cards, as well as Apple Pay, Google Pay and tap-to-pay, are accepted. 

Users also have the option of purchasing a digital copy of their photo at the time of checkout. 

Passport and visa photos cost $12.99, portraits cost $5, printing photos from a phone cost 50 cents a piece, and fun photos such as photo strips and cards cost $5. 

Say goodbye to your trip to the pharmacy or office store and pose, pay and print at the FGCU Library! 

Young children in Halloween costumes from the Lee County Black History Society Collection. The collection consists of photographs, news articles, and various high school memorabilia commemorating Black history in Lee County. The items were digitized as part of the partnership between the FGCU University Archives and Special Collections and the Lee County Black Historical Society. 

Physical materials included in the Lee County Black History Society digital collection can be found at the Lee County Black History Society, Fort Myers, FL. 

Photojournalist Charles Ray documented the drama of presidential campaigns, the passion of the civil rights movement, and the adventure and tragedy of NASA's race for space, our nation's growing pains, including the bloody clashes between police and journalists covering the civil rights protests of the 1960s and the tragic end of Camelot. 

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A newspaper comic depicts trick-or-treaters with different types of candy/treats and two parents holding trash bags full of "roadside recyclables, trash and debris" from Doug MacGregor’s Southwest Florida Cartoon Collection. 

 

Doug MacGregor has been a cartoonist for over 40 years and has created cartoons for the Fort Myers News-Press from 1988 - 2011. The collection contains sketches spanning MacGregor's career with the Fort Myers News-Press. 

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Volume 5, Issue 10 of Eagle News “Fright Night” article showing FGCU students in costume at Junkanoo’s published on November 3, 2006. Student newspaper from the Eagle News Collection, which contains digitized issues of The Eagle, Eagle News, and special editions including new student guides. Publication dates range from 2001 to 2020. 

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Claude Rahn, Imogene Bubbett (Rahn), and Laurence Bubbet in costumes from the Koreshan Unity Collection. The Koreshan Unity Settlement was a faith-based group founded by Dr. Cyrus Teed, who later translated his name to the Hebrew version, Koresh. 

This collection consists of publications (notably The Flaming Sword and American Eagle), Koreshan Unity members’ records/personal papers, photographs, correspondence, sheet music, musical instruments, etc. The Koreshan State Park is open to the public and provides guided tours with volunteers and ranger staff. 

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Dr. William R. Maples (1937-1997) was a prominent forensic anthropologist, specializing in bones, who oversaw the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory at the Florida Museum of Natural History. In addition to helping with local cases, he was often sought after by various institutions to assist with high-profile investigations across the globe. 

 

The Maples' Forensic Anthropology Collection includes images and documents pertaining to the Pizarro, Taylor, Merrick, and Romanov cases, as well as field notes, audio/visual material, and administrative records documenting Maples' career as a forensic anthropologist between 1960 and 1997.  

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Zombie Fest: The End Is Near Poster from the Office of University Advancement Collection. The collection consists of documents, photographs, and ephemera regarding Advancement and Communications and Marketing between 1997 to 2020. 

 

November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). During this time, people all over the world set a goal to write 50,000 words of a new novel in 30 days. 

Since 1999, NaNoWriMo has given both writers and non-writers the opportunity to unleash their creative minds through a fun and empowering writing challenge. 

Throughout November, and in collaboration with the Department of Language & Literature, the library invites you to take up NaNoWriMo at our weekly two-hour write-ins. These write-ins might possibly include writing prompts, writing sprints, raffles and snacks. 

This event is a perfect opportunity for any and all students to learn some fun techniques that will aid in your tackling of NaNoWriMo. 

Every event will be held at the Data Visualization Wall on the 1st Floor of Library West. Please bring your laptop, notebook, or whatever you need to write! Registering on Eagle Link is encouraged, but not required. 

To learn more about NaNoWriMo, visit their website at nanowrimo.org. We hope to see you there! 

Over one hundred Eagles sailed across the library during our welcome event. Throughout their hunt, students learned about specific library resources while collecting lots of coins, candy and fun prizes. 

The Media Production Studio’s photo booth was a big hit during the scavenger hunt. A digital background of a pirate ship was used to make the theme come alive.

After participants completed their hunt, they spun the wheel for a prize. Some of the prizes included tote bags, stress balls, pencil pouches and more. It was a thrill to see so many students stop by the library to learn about and utilize our services, as well as meet many of our staff members who made this event possible! 

By Alejandra Velez, Archives Assistant

Oof, archival work is no joke! I spent a full year processing a collection that completely changed my view on academic institutions like Florida Gulf Coast University. Throughout this experience of processing and learning the ins and outs of archival work, I’ve come to realize one thing… I really like it. Dealing with such a long and extensive collection was both rewarding and frustrating. I’d come to work and spend eight hours a day processing an extensive paper and photograph collection. I often found myself repeating the same tasks daily: coffee, then processing, another coffee break, and more processing. Some days I would have to take a step back and remind myself why I was sorting through thousands of letters, photographs, newspapers, university policies, and materials. The answer was the same every time: no matter how long it took me to complete a box, the sense of relief I felt when finished was better than the sense of frustration. I also rewarded myself with a treat sometimes!  

I learned so much about FGCU and its amazing past while scouring through the material. Like this project, the University has had its ups and downs in its relatively short history. Despite our academic institution being only 27 years old, it is filled with a rich history that brought together all members of the Southwest Florida Community. Working on the Susan Evans Papers Collection made me realize that the people in our own communities have the potential to be the biggest influence in our lives. I’ll be the first to admit this was no easy task for me to complete and sometimes I felt like I was in over my head, but the sweet reward was well worth it in the end. For me, this brought me one step closer to achieving my goal of becoming an archivist.