See a complete list of all UAB Libraries’ digital collections online. Did you know that UAB Libraries is home to more than 30 collections of materials digitized by the libraries’ Digital Services team, including photographs, illustrations, books, videos, and audio recordings? UAB Libraries’ Digital Collections are a collaboration between several library departments, including the Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences, the Reynolds-Finley Historical Library and the UAB Archives — each of whom house much of the digitized materials in their physical collections — and the Digital Services Team, whose technical expertise on digitization and digital preservation continues to keep the Digital Collections online and available for browsing. Collections also have been contributed by other UAB units, departments and divisions, as well as by members of the wider Birmingham community.
Collections span a wide variety of topics, from UAB-specific history, such as a collection documenting the COVID-19 pandemic at UAB, to large-scale, culturally significant information, such as a large collection of letters by Florence Nightingale.
Recently added collections include the Presidential Campaign Collection of William L. Benoit, the Entrepreneurship Oral History Collection, and the UAB Town and Gown Theatre Programs and Playbills collection.
Exploring these collections is now more user-friendly than ever following a switch to Alma Digital, which integrated the digital collections into UAB Libraries’ existing platform.
"As an extension of our existing library services platform, Alma Digital enables us to seamlessly integrate digitized materials into our user's search results, enhancing the user experience and improving the overall discoverability of UAB Libraries' digital collections," said Kevin Hebert, associate dean for Technology and Technical Services in UAB Libraries.
See a selection of some of the new digital collections’ unique items and learn more about each collection below.
Presidential Campaign Collection of William L. Benoit
The newest addition to UAB Digital Collections, the Presidential Campaign Collection of William L. Benoit was donated to UAB Libraries in 2022 by William L. Benoit, Ph.D., now-retired Distinguished Professor in the Department of Communication Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The collection consists of flyers, pamphlets, brochures and leaflets from presidential primaries and general elections, with materials spanning from the 1936 campaign of Alf Landon to the 2000 campaigns of George W. Bush and Al Gore. The UAB Archives and Digital Services teams have made the items available for online viewing, and the physical items are held in the UAB Archives and are available for viewing by appointment.
A selection of items also is on display through December on the first floor of Sterne Library; look for the “Spot the Spin: Politics and Public Relations” display case in the main group study area.
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"Abe & Ike in Deed Alike," 1952
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"I Run for the Presidency Because I want the United States to Stand for Hope," 1968
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"Shirley Chisholm Speaks Out, Presidential Campaign Position paper, No. 1," 1972
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"Can You Afford Richard Nixon?," 1972
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"Bill Clinton and Bob Torricelli, Meeting Our Challenges," 1996
Entrepreneurship Oral History Collection
The Entrepreneurship Oral History Collection is a collaborative oral histories project between UAB’s J. Frank Barefield Jr. Entrepreneurship Program, UAB Libraries, and the Academy of Management’s (AOM) Entrepreneurship Division. AOM is the preeminent professional association for management and organization scholars, and its Entrepreneurship Division (ENT) is nearing 40 years of formal history. In 2022-2023, Patrick J. Murphy, Ph.D., Goodrich Endowed Chair for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, professor in and founding director of the J. Frank Barefield Jr. Entrepreneurship Program, and ENT historian, initiated the oral history collection project to capture primary source historical accounts of ENT’s formations and the development of the entrepreneurship field — all directly from professors who have made foundational contributions. While the project is projected to take several years to complete, it is intended to offer insight into the entrepreneurship field’s early history and development for present and future academics and researchers.
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Oral history interview conducted with Barbara J. Bird by Ellen Brooks for the Academy of Management, 2024; Bird is a professor emerita of management in the Kogod School of Business at American University.
UAB Town and Gown Theatre Programs and Playbills
Established in Birmingham in 1950 by the University of Alabama and led by founding director James F. Hatcher, the Town and Gown Theatre gained a reputation for its excellent production quality and combination of local community talent and veteran Broadway and Hollywood stars. This collection contains programs and playbills from Theatre productions, including both local and some traveling performances. The UAB Archives and Digital Services teams have made the items available for online viewing, and the physical items are held in the UAB Archives and are available for viewing by appointment.
Want to learn more about Town and Gown’s extensive history? University Archivist Tim Pennycuff has compiled the rest of the story online.
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“Born Yesterday,” 1950, the program from Town and Gown Theatre’s first-ever production
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“Anything Goes,” October 1960
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“Peter Pan,” 1966
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“Follies,” 1978
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“On Golden Pond,” 1997
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“Cabaret,” May 1999, the program from the group’s final production
See a complete list of all UAB Libraries’ digital collections online. Digital Services welcomes new collections and projects from UAB departments and the wider Birmingham community to expand UAB Libraries’ digital offerings and ensure the preservation of valuable resources; email digital-collections@uab.edu to inquire about adding additional items.