Photo courtesy of University Archives and Special Collections

Archives Madness is a yearly contest held by the University Archives and Special Collections in collaboration from area institutions competing for recognition for having the “coolest” artifact. This year’s winner was the Parachute Dress submitted by the Evansville Wartime Museum.

The University Archives and Special Collections, established in 1972, is a collection of history, artifacts and documents pertaining to campus, Evansville and the Midwest region from the 19th century to today.

The UASC preserves physical and digital artifacts, with digital collections containing over 20,000 digitized images and documents about the history of USI, surrounding areas and various communal groups in the United States and around the world. 

The UASC accepts materials relating to the history and development of campus, which include personal papers, private library collections, photographs, oral histories with proper documentation and family or business history. Rare books, general items of local interest and items of educational value supporting the library or the university’s missions may also be considered for addition to the collection.

The David L. Rice Library also provides examples and information on how to write proper citations from the UASC alongside a link to an article by Purdue Online Writing Lab on citing archival resources.

The UASC holds special events throughout the year through its blog, amUSIngArtifacts. Recently, the UASC held its yearly Archives Madness competition, a contest between area institutions providing recognition for having the “coolest” artifact. There were 16 submissions between the UASC, University Art Collection, Evansville Museum, Newburgh Museum, Evansville Wartime Museum, Owensboro Museum of Science and History, Working Men’s Institute and Willard Public Library.

Besides events, the blog posts weekly highlights from the collection that surround a certain theme or historical event, with the most recent post involving the Hindenburg Disaster May 6, 1937, in Manchester Township, New Jersey.

According to the UASC website, “The department is dedicated to preservation and organization of materials for the purpose of research.”

Students wanting to do research can request access to all of these materials through the UASC Digital Collections. Students can also visit UASC 8 a.m. – 6 p.m Monday through Friday on the third floor of the David L. Rice Library.