Browse Exhibits (2 total)
The 50th Anniversary of the Macdonald-Kelce Library
Fifty years ago on October 19, 1969, the Merl Kelce Library was dedicated and the doors opened to the new University of Tampa library located by the Hillsborough River. Dr. David Delo, UT President from 1958-1971, was responsible for securing the funds to make construction possible. Federal funds and private donations, the largest being $250,000 from Merl C. Kelce, a St. Louis industrialist, went towards the construction of the 1.3 million library. The library was previously located in what is now Fletcher Lounge.
Space initially included classrooms in what is now the Florida Military Collection room and at one point the local public television station broadcast from there.
Upon opening immediate calls for extended hours and to be open on Sundays were heard. Continued enrollment growth drew requests for expanded collections and services. Technological innovations were introduced as they became available and the library was first on campus to offer wifi. The library now offers full-text journal articles, electronic databases and reference resources and streaming video. Space that was formerly needed for print resources and shelving were reconfigured to house study carrels and research space.
Much of the money needed to update the library came during the “Take UT to the Top” fundraising campaign started in 1999. Pledges from the Macdonald family and the Jaeb family made possible interior design and technology upgrades. The name of the library was changed that year to the Macdonald-Kelce Library.
The library staff will be hosting a series of events to mark the 50th anniversary the week of October 19th.
The library website is maintained at utopia.ut.edu and offers access to the more than 150+ databases for research, 250,000 books (both print and electronic) and research guides. An Institutional Repository has also been set up to house research papers and noted UT events including the recently added NEH Summer Institute for The Center for José Martí Studies.
Various events are held in the library including UTWrites and Honors program seminars which are announced on our blog at: https://utopia.ut.edu/blog
UT Community COVID-19 Archive Project
We have lived, and are continuing to live through unprecedented shared trauma. The COVID-19 pandemic is a major historical event affecting all aspects of society and every individual in unique and personal ways. Facing the ramifications of quarantine, isolation, and job loss, we know that the coronavirus has significantly changed how we live our lives, and that some of those changes will endure. The pandemic has highlighted the racial and economic disparities apparent in U.S. society and brought the issues of equity and inclusion to the forefront of local and national discourse.
College students, faculty, and staff are experiencing the pandemic through the lens of higher education and dealing with issues related to education, pedagogy, college operations, race, class, finances, family, social life, and mental health, among many others. Our perspectives and experiences are unique and important to share with each other.
The UT Community COVID-19 Archive Project gathers and digitally preserves stories and other materials from The University of Tampa community.
Use the pages on the left to browse stories, photographs, poems, and other materials.
All work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 . Copyright of work is retained by authors.