Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Special Collections Unbound: The Opportunity For Collecting Visual Arts As Primary Source Materials, Rhia Rae, Annia Gonzalez

Athenaeum: Scholarly Works of the FIU Libraries Faculty and Staff

During the summer of 2015, Florida International University (FIU) Special Collections Department acquired a large fine art collection by Cuban artists that included rare and unique paintings. While the collection offers enormous potential for teaching and research, it also presented some challenges. This poster presentation exemplifies how the Special Collections Department at FIU is collecting new primary resource materials that years ago were considered part of museums rather than Special Collections. Following the acquisition of this collection, the Special Collections staff confronted three major challenges: security, space, and access. The poster focuses on the process of providing open access to …