USM Special Collections

10/29/2026

A letter bearing Dolly Parton’s iconic signature was recently discovered while processing additions to the Ezra Jack Keats Collection. Founded in 1995, Parton’s Imagination Library has gifted more than 300 million books to children. In 2015, its Blue Ribbon Book Selection Committee selected Keats’s The Snowy Day, a beloved picture book first published in 1962.

In the letter, Dolly thanked Keats and the Foundation for inspiring children to “Dream More, Learn More, Care More, & Be More!”—a fitting message from someone who shares the joy of reading with so many.

Read more about this item - go.usm.edu/59JEfW

10/22/2026

What do the following have in common?

😱 Horror in Children’s Literature
👨‍🍳 Southern Cookbooks
☢️ Nuclear Energy
👗 Paper Dolls

They’re all stars in exhibits students have created for University Libraries' Special Collections as part of the annual Student Curator Program.

If you could design an exhibit, what would you feature? 🤔💭

These exhibits were curated by students majoring in the School of Library and Information Science, but this unique opportunity is open to all undergraduate and graduate student majors. Three Southern Miss students will work with a librarian to create their own exhibits, gaining hands-on experience selecting materials, writing exhibit text and labels, and preparing items for display.

Let’s see what you’ve got! Apply by October 28 on the Special Collections website!

10/13/2026

The Spring 2027 Student Curator Program gives three Southern Miss students the opportunity to work with a librarian to develop an exhibit of their own. Gain hands-on experience choosing materials, writing exhibit text and labels, and preparing items for display while sharing a topic that interests you.

Undergraduate and graduate students of all majors are welcome to apply. Applications close October 28!

Learn more and apply: go.usm.edu/aOWKr7

10/05/2026

Cornbread for 100 and enough peach pie filling for eighteen pies—Army cooks had some big batches to prepare!

Our Item of the Month, the Baking Manual for the Army Cook, was issued by the War Department in 1943. With illustrated instructions, recipes calling for “war lard” instead of butter, and measurements in dippers and spoons, it offers a glimpse into wartime supplies and cooking for a crowd.

The manual is part of the Brig. General James E. Baylis and Lt. James E. Bolton Collection, donated to Special Collections by Hugh Bolton.

09/30/2026

Bring your interests to life in a Special Collections exhibit! Applications are open for the Spring 2027 Student Curator Program.

Three Southern Miss students will work with a librarian to create their own exhibits, gaining hands-on experience selecting materials, writing exhibit text and labels, and preparing items for display.

Open to undergraduate and graduate students of all majors. Apply by October 28!

Learn more and apply: go.usm.edu/aOWKr7

09/24/2026

At McCain Library and Archives, students can explore original materials, ask new questions and draw their own conclusions. Thanks to Southern Miss Student Media for highlighting our collections and speaking with two of our curators, Jennifer Brannock and Karlie Herndon, about the value of working with primary sources.

Read the story: go.usm.edu/191g8V

Archives may bring to mind old boxes and forgotten books, but the collections at The University of Southern Mississippi’s McCain Library and Archives offer students a way to study the past and develop their own ideas. Built in 1976, McCain Library and Archives houses collections including Universi...

09/21/2026

Our cookbook collection is serving up some national attention!

A recent Parade article exploring the history of classic chicken casseroles features A recent Parade article exploring the history of classic chicken casseroles features Jennifer Brannock, curator of rare books and Mississippiana, and University Libraries’ digitized collection of community cookbooks. Jennifer helped the writer dig into decades of church and community recipes, including cookbooks from Gulfport, Tupelo and Hattiesburg.

Check out the article to learn more.

Maybe some recipes really do get better with thyme.

09/17/2026

A new Mississippi Writers Trail marker on the Southern Miss campus honors the life and legacy of writer, scholar and longtime Southern Miss professor Noel Polk.

Polk devoted much of his career to the study of Mississippi and Southern literature, becoming internationally recognized for his scholarship on William Faulkner and other writers. His connection to Southern Miss continues through the Noel Polk Collection, housed in University Libraries Special Collections, which preserves materials related to his scholarship and research.

Special Collections specialist Andrew Rhodes, who oversees the collection, spoke with SM2 about Polk’s legacy and the significance of the new marker, located on the plaza between Cook Library and McCain Library and Archives.

A Mississippi Writers Trail marker dedicated to writer and former Southern Miss Professor Noel Polk was unveiled Tuesday, Sept. 1. Overseen by Visit Mississippi, the Mississippi Writers Trail honors the state’s most renowned and influential writers and celebrates Mississippi’s literary and cultu...

09/02/2026

09/01/2026

Donated this spring to the University Archives by Byron Glick, the Kay’s Klowns T-Shirt and Play Script capture the spirit of the first freshman class of The University of Southern Mississippi’s Honors College. Formalized in 1976 under President Aubrey K. Lucas, the Honors College welcomed about 40 students who adopted “Kay’s Klowns” as their name in honor of first dean Wallace G. Kay. The t-shirt served as an unofficial jersey for intramural sports and other Honors events, while the play script documents a one-time student performance inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Together, the artifacts offer a glimpse into what Glick calls “that first magic year of the Honors College.”

See more about this item here: https://lib.usm.edu/spcol/exhibitions/item_of_the_month/iotm_aug_2026.html