Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections

08/10/2026

Two Toledos: A Long Friendship

Explore the story behind the sister cities of Toledo, Ohio, and Toledo, Spain.

Discover scrapbooks, artwork, and artifacts celebrating the connection between the two Toledos, which formally began with the creation of the Committee on Relations with Toledo, Spain, in 1931.

Located on the fifth floor of Carlson Library, the exhibition is free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., from August 10 through December 18, 2026.

08/07/2026

Today, we welcomed Mayor Carlos Velázquez and the delegation from Toledo, Spain, as they visited our Two Toledos: A Long Friendship exhibition.

For 95 years, Toledo, Ohio, and Toledo, Spain have shared the world's longest-running sister city relationship.

The Association of Two Toledo traces its roots to the 1920s, when University of Toledo President Henry Doermann visited Spain as an affiliate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and History in Toledo, Spain. Originally known as the Committee on Relations with Toledo, Spain, the organization's early activities are documented through scrapbooks and related materials preserved in the Canaday Center's collections.
https://canadaycenter.utoledo.edu/repositories/2/resources/565

08/05/2026

This selection of Ethiopian religious manuscripts (c. 1800) includes parchment healing scrolls, prayer books, and amulets acquired by the Friends of the Library in 1972. Among them are prayers against lisāna sab'e ("the tongue of men"), intended to provide spiritual protection from slander, gossip, malicious speech, and other harms believed to be caused by the words of others.

Swipe through to see examples from this fascinating collection.

07/29/2026

We proudly preserve the Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company Records, 1851–1991, documenting the history of one of Toledo’s most important glass companies. The collection includes corporate files, sales and promotional materials, and information about products from various company divisions, including Aeroquip, Liberty Mirror, and LOF Engineered Products, Inc.

The records document a wide range of LOF glass products, including Electrapane, patterned glass, plate glass, safety glass, Thermopane, Tuf-flex, and Vitrolite.

Featured here are two pieces of LOF promotional history: a 1964 “Mirrors for Christmas” merchandising kit and a Thermopane Insulating Glass tabletop display from May 1950. A small glimpse into the history of a company whose products became part of everyday American life.

Click here for the guide to this collection.https://www.utoledo.edu/library/canaday/collections/findingaids1/MSS-066.pdf

07/22/2026

When Centennial Hall opened at UToledo in 1976 (renamed Savage Hall in 1988 and Savage Arena in 2008), it quickly became a destination for some of the biggest names in entertainment.

The 1970s brought legends like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, and Billy Joel. In the 1980s, audiences welcomed Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Kenny Rogers, and Stevie Nicks. The 1990s featured stars including Metallica, Reba McEntire, Boyz II Men, and Hootie & the Blowfish.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. From concerts and comedy shows to sporting events and more, Centennial Hall—later Savage Hall and now Savage Arena—hosted an incredible variety of entertainment over the years.

Take a walk down memory lane and browse the complete schedule of events from the 1970s through the 1990s in our UToledo Trivia collection in the digital repository: https://utdr.utoledo.edu/items/f5c5ac3d-eae6-41c0-bad2-5151e44a691e

07/15/2026

Sneak peek!

We are hard at work installing our next exhibit. Here's a behind-the-scenes look as everything starts coming together.

Think you know what's coming? Let us know in the comments.

We can't wait to share the finished exhibit with you soon!

07/08/2026

Delta Delta Delta has been part of the University of Toledo community since 1944, but its story began more than two decades earlier. Founded in 1923 as the local sorority Psi Chi Phi, the group unanimously voted in spring 1944 to petition Tri Delta for affiliation. Their acceptance was announced at the Senior Banquet on June 6, 1944 (D-Day), making Psi Chi Phi the first University of Toledo sorority to be accepted by a national Greek organization. Men's national fraternities followed a few years later. In 1994, many of the original members returned for Founder's Day to celebrate the golden anniversary of the milestone they had helped create.

07/04/2026

07/03/2026

To mark the nation's 250th anniversary, the Canaday Center is highlighting this 1776 Philadelphia edition of Common Sense by Thomas Paine, bearing the signature of Benjamin Franklin.

Published anonymously in January 1776, Common Sense became one of the Revolutionary era's most influential pamphlets. Our copy is an expanded February 1776 edition that includes an "Address to the People called Quakers.

06/24/2026

These tourism and city guidebooks, published between 1924 and 1994, show how Toledo presented itself to the world across seven decades. The artwork, maps, advertisements, and local highlights are a time capsule of changing styles and city pride.
You’ll find this collection in our Local History Files, alongside countless other Toledo treasures that help tell the story of our community.