Libraries Digitize Largest Collection of University Photos to Date

Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries

Edith Irby Jones, first African American graduate of the University of Arkansas Medical School, June 1952

The University of Arkansas Picture Collection (MC 2467) contains around 5,500 photos and negatives depicting the U of A campus and scenes from around the state. Now, over 1,300 of these items have been digitized and made available to the public online at no cost. Images will continue to be added to the digital collection over the course of this multi-year project. 

"This is one of the largest collections of U of A photographs in the archives," said Amy Allen, university archivist. "The physical collection is frequently used by researchers, and now we are excited to provide access to a global audience as we begin to celebrate the U of A sesquicentennial."

The items from the collection were selected by previous Special Collections staff and digitized by the University Libraries Digital Services team, which includes Christina Rhoades, Neva Bartelt, Samuel Collins, Dexter Fairweather, Ross Kerr, Zachary King, Wendy McLean, Cassidy McManus, Laura Montgomery, Shelby Osbourn, Dharma Shepard, Fred Shumbusho and Kennedy Simes. Others on the project team include Amy Allen, Martha Anderson, Lisa Headstream, Chelsea Hoover, Deborah Kulczak, Ashley Mitchell, Heath Robinson, Judy Robinson and Julie Thacker. 

Frank Broyles, standing with a player, holding a newspaper article about the Razorbacks.

"The University of Arkansas Picture Collection is one of the most rewarding digital projects my staff and I have processed," said Martha Anderson, head of Digital Services. "While preparing for the U of A's sesquicentennial celebrations, it has been meaningful to view the campus history through images. From football to commencement celebrations, homecomings and much more, this collection delivers a beautiful story of how we have arrived as a campus to this point in time.

University Libraries Digital Collections facilitate the discovery of and access to a variety of digital materials related to the university and to Arkansas, its history, culture, environment and people. Technical questions about the University of Arkansas Photo Collection can be sent to digiunit@uark.edu, and questions regarding reproduction and publication can be sent to specoll@uark.edu. 

Jamieson & Spearl Architects' conception from 1926 of what the University of Arkansas could look like 100 years from then.