Join us for an Open House in celebration of American Archives Month! Explore the newly renovated spaces in Mullins Library that house Special Collections, Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts, Digital Services, Preservation, and Archival Processing. Refreshments will be provided, and we'll have a sampling of our rare and unique materials on display.

Schedule

4:30 - 5:30 p.m. - Self-Guided Tours
5:30 p.m. - Remarks
5:50 p.m. - Shape Note Singing Performance

Tour Areas and Highlights

Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts (AFTA)
AFTA, a department within the Special Collections Division, is dedicated to documenting, presenting, and sustaining Arkansas’s living traditional arts and folklife. As part of the Open House, AFTA will host a presentation on shape note singing by artists Cory Winters and Allison Langston, participants in AFTA’s 2024–2025 Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. This presentation will also celebrate Winters’ recent achievement—his original tune will be included in the 2025 edition of The Sacred Harp.

Digital Services
In honor of Archives Month and the 10th Anniversary of the Digital Services Department, visitors are invited to celebrate a decade of innovation in digital preservation. Stop by the lab to see how staff use cutting-edge technology to digitize, preserve, and share the university’s collections—and learn how the future of archives is being shaped right here at the University Libraries.

Preservation
Visit the Preservation Lab to see how the team collaborates with Special Collections to ensure the long-term care of physical materials. Demonstrations include custom box construction, book and paper repair, and environmental monitoring practices that protect the Libraries’ rare and fragile collections.

Archival Processing
Get a behind-the-scenes look at accessioning and processing spaces, where archivists prepare collections for researchers. Featured materials include:

- The papers of writer James Whitehead, including materials related to his student, poet Frank Stanford
- The collection of photographer Don House
- The papers of former Arkansas state legislator Lindsley Smith
- Paintings by artist William Mayes Flanagan

Public Services/Reading Room
Tour the Special Collections Reading Room, featuring modern research facilities, a media transfer station, and displays from notable collections highlighting Arkansas legends Florence Price and Fay Jones.

University Archives
See highlights from the newly processed University Theatre Show Records and learn how to explore university history online through the digital archives.