Additional Florence Price Materials Now Available in Libraries Special Collections Division

LeeAnna Ta Thao

Notes handwritten by Florence Price.

Last month, the University of Arkansas Libraries purchased additional materials related to classical composer and Arkansas native Florence Beatrice Smith Price. These materials have now been processed and are available for researchers. 

This collection primarily contains published and unpublished sheet music created and collected by Price. Also included are a memo book, course notes and a course notebook that belonged to Price, 13 family photographs and a manuscript draft of a novel, Maudelle: A Novel Founded on Facts Gathered from Living Witnesses, written by Price's father, James H. Smith.

"Arkansas composer Florence Price has been receiving well-deserved attention in recent years, with orchestras around the world programming her works," said Melanie Griffin, interim associate dean for Special Collections. "The three collections of her papers that Special Collections has long held are a destination resource for everyone interested in learning more about Price and her music. With this fourth acquisition, we're excited to be able to provide richer, deeper access to materials documenting her compositional process."

Materials from the Florence Price Collection were requested 351 times last year, making it the fourth most requested collection in the University Libraries Special Collections Division. 

The public is welcome to view and use the Florence Price materials by making an appointment with Special Collections. The Special Collections Reading Room is currently housed in Mullins Library room 329 and is open from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.