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University of Florida
George A. Smathers Libraries

NEH Small Grants to Libraries:
Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War

With an extensive history of community collaboration, the George A. Smathers Libraries,
University of Florida (UF) welcomes the opportunity to continue its community outreach efforts
by hosting the traveling Lincoln exhibition. It is a rare opportunity for Floridians to interact with
Civil War history and contemplate its importance for the state. Past collaborative projects with
the Alachua Public Library and multiple city and state agencies have firmly convinced the library
administrators and the staff of the tremendous benefits of cooperatively developing projects of
interest to both the academic and pubic communities.

As the largest public academic library in the state, the UF libraries' collections are located at
nine libraries across campus and at many of the remote Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences
research stations throughout the state. The University and its Libraries, as land grant and state
funded institutions, make every effort to assist the citizens of Florida in addition to the
researchers, staff, and students of the university community. Special Collections holdings include
the Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature, the Belknap Collection for the
Performing Arts, Rare Books, Manuscripts, the P. K. Yonge Library of Florida History, and the
University Archives. Area Studies holdings include the Latin American Collection, Asian and
African Studies collections, and the Price Library of Judaica The Libraries have significant
holdings in social, political, and community history, and are a member of depository document
programs for the United States, the European Union, and the state of Florida.

1. Why would your institution like to display "Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil
War"?
The impetus for submitting this application is fueled by the numerous resources at the University
of Florida (UF) and past support and partnerships with the Gainesville community that will be
utilized in programming for the Lincoln exhibit. One significant asset is the P.K. Yonge Library
of Florida History which houses a wide range of materials dealing with Florida's involvement in
the Civil War. Collections include published memoirs, maps, and prints; newspapers; family
letter collections; diaries; photo portraits; and art. A synopsis of holdings is available online at
the course resource page for AMH 3930 The Civil War Home Front in Florida
http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge/amh3930c.html).

In addition, the UF Libraries have begun to put its Civil War letter collections online at Florida
and the Civil War (http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/ufdc/?c=wbts). Since Florida was divided between
Union and Confederate realms of influence throughout the war, its historical record is
particularly good for documenting rival loyalties of the times. A companion exhibit curated by
Special Collections staff using locally owned materials will focus on one or more themes:
Florida's debate over secession.
The use of the draft (heavily resisted by Confederates in Florida).
Opinions about the appropriate powers of a president (represented in letters comparing
the powers of Jefferson Davis with those of Lincoln).
Confederate and Union use of slaves as "contrabands."
The rights of black troops and their role in combat.
Reactions to Reconstruction in Florida.






University of Florida
George A. Smathers Libraries

For examples of items that have been used for previous UF Libraries' online projects about the
Civil War and Reconstruction, see The House Divided: Florida's Civil War Letters
(http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge/housediv.html), Up the St. Mary 's by Thomas Wentworth
Higginson (http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge/armylife.html), and George F. Thompson: A
Tour of Central Florida and the Lower West Coast, 1865-1866
(http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge/thompson/gftdiary.html)

2. What local partners will help you support the exhibition and what will their roles be?
Program organizers have identified and confirmed the following partners:
City of Gainesville's Parks & Recreation, Division of Cultural Affairs
Alachua County Public Library District
Gainesville Handweavers Guild
Local members of the Florida Reeanctors

Both the City of Gainesville and County Public Library have agreed to co-sponsor planned
events supporting the exhibition, including providing presentation space and cooperative
marketing to their respective audiences. More details about venues are provided in question #4.

3. Please describe your plans for programs and include information about possible scholars
and their credentials.
The public programs planned for complementing the traveling Lincoln exhibition include:
Three outreach lectures at venues throughout Gainesville
A Civil War reenactment on the grounds surrounding the Libraries
An opening exhibition event and lecture by Dr. David Colburn at the Smathers Libraries
A session on using government documents for historical research at Smathers Libraries or
a partnering site, presented by international documents librarian, Chelsea Dinsmore

The three scholars identified below will present four lectures inspired by the themes developed in
the Lincoln exhibition at selected locations in Gainesville, such as the Alachua County Library
System Headquarters; the Thomas Center, a beautifully restored Mediterranean-Revival style
hotel considered to be Gainesville's cultural center; and the Thelma Bolten Community Center,
an established meeting place frequented by African-American community members, as well as
the Smather's Libraries. Other programs planned include an event featuring a "Day in the Life"
during the Civil War, with a Civil War reenactment group and members of local spinning and
weaving organizations dressed in period costume offering demonstrations of their crafts. These
events will take place at UF, in close proximity to the Smathers Library where the Lincoln
exhibition will be presented. In addition, the UF Libraries staff will present a program that
highlights the use of government documents in historical research as well as electronic resources
such as the U.S. Serial Set Online and Congressional Quarterly databases.

UF's faculty, representing a number of departments and academic centers, who will make
presentations on topics related to the American Civil War, Lincoln, and American constitutional
history. The following provides biographical sketches of participating faculty.






University of Florida
George A. Smathers Libraries

Associate Professor Elizabeth Dale received her Ph.D. in 1995 in U.S. Legal History from the
University of Chicago, her J.D. (with honors) in 1984 from Chicago Kent College of Law, and
her B.A. in Ancient Greek from DePauw University. She joined UF's Department of History in
2000 after teaching at Clemson University from 1995 to 2000. Professor Dale has published two
books: The Rule ofJustice: The People of Chicago versus Zephyr Davis (2001) and Debating
and Creating Authority: The Failure of a Constitutional Ideal in Massachusetts Bay, 1629-1649
(2001), and articles in Law and History Review and the American Historical Review. She is
working on her third monograph, tentatively entitled "The Price of Liberty? Extralegal Justice
and Popular Sovereignty in America, 1833-1947." She also works on Comparative
Constitutional History, 19th Century Criminal Law, and Citizenship in U.S. History. Dr. Dale
teaches graduate courses in American Legal and Constitutional History, Comparative
Constitutional History, and Early American History, and undergraduate courses in the History of
Women and Law and American Constitutional History. In spring 2005, Dr. Dale served as a
Fulbright lecturer/researcher at Jinan University, Shandong Province, People's Republic of
China. Recognition includes: Mahon Award for Undergraduate Teaching (2000- 01), College of
Liberal Arts and Sciences Humanities Enhancement Fellowship (Summer 2001).Dr. Dale serves
as Coordinator for JD/MA/PhD program at UF and began her second term on the editorial board
for Law and History Review (2005-2010).

Professor Matt Gallman received his Ph.D. in 1986 in American History from Brandeis
University, and his B.A. in 1979 from Princeton University. He joined the UF Department of
History in 2003 after teaching at Loyola College, Gettysburg College and Occidental College.
He is the author of four books, including Mastering Wartime: A Social History ofPhiladelphia
During the Civil War (Cambridge, 1990); The North Fights the Civil War: The Home Front
(Ivan Dee, 1994); Receiving Erin's Children: Philadelphia, Liverpool, and the Irish Famine
Migration, 1845-1855 (UNC, 2000); and America's Joan ofArc: The Life ofAnna Elizabeth
Dickinson (Oxford 2006). He is currently working on a study of political rhetoric and satire in
the North during the Civil War. Dr. Gallman teaches undergraduate courses on the Civil War era
and on American Women's History and a graduate seminar on the Civil War. He teaches the
department's graduate foundation course on Nineteenth Century America on a regular basis.

Emeritus Professor Dr. David R. Colburn served as Provost of UF from October 5, 2000 until
January 1, 2005. He began serving as Interim Provost in November 1999. Formerly Vice Provost
for Academic Affairs, Dr. Colbum has been a member of the UF's History Department faculty
since 1972. He received his A.B. and an M.A. from Providence College before entering the U.S.
Army in 1966. Dr. Colburn served one year in Vietnam before attending the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received his Ph.D. in 1971. He came to UF after teaching at
UNC and East Carolina University. Dr. Colburn's teaching and research have focused on politics,
race, and ethnicity in 20th Century America. He was twice named teacher-of-the-year and has
published nine books and more than twenty-five articles and chapters in books. His most recent
books include Florida's Megatrends: Critical Issues in Florida (2002) with Lance deHaven-
Smith, African-American Mayors: Race, Politics, and the American City (2001) with Jeffrey S.
Adler, Government in the Sunshine State: Florida Since Statehood (1999) with Lance deHaven-
Smith, and The African American Heritage ofFlorida (1994) with Jane Landers, which won the
Rembert W. Patrick Book Prize as the best book in Florida History and a special commendation
from the Association of State and Local History in 1996. He has been a regular contributor to the






University of Florida
George A. Smathers Libraries

Orlando Sentinel, having written over 100 essays on state and national politics. He also served as
one of the authors of the Rosewood Report in 1993, which was part of the inquiry of the State of
Florida into the destruction of the town of Rosewood in 1923. He served as a Fellow in the
United States Senate from 1993 to 1997. Dr. Colbum currently directs the Reubin Askew
Institute on Politics and Society at UF which provides public programs to civic leaders and
citizens of Florida on critical issues confronting the state. In 1999, the Askew Institute received a
Distinguished Community Service Award from the Board of Regents for its service to the State
of Florida. As Chair of the Board of the Florida Humanities Council, Colburn is also a Road
Scholar for the Council. His most recent book is From Yellow Dog Democrats to Red State
Republicans: Florida and its Politics since 1940. He is senior adviser to the Chancellor of the
State University System and a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American
Historians.

4. Describe the audience you will target and how you will publicize the exhibition to that
audience.
Three populations of the Gainesville community will be targeted for this program: African
Americans, community seniors and history buffs of all ages. One program will be held at the
Thelma Bolten community center, an established meeting space frequented by African-American
community members. With strong ties already established to the retirement and assisted living
facilities in Gainesville, such as the Atrium and Oak Hammock, organizers will use these
connections to promote the exhibition and related public programs. Most of the retirement
communities and assisted living facilities provide transportation and organizational services for
their participants. Libraries' staff have liaisons in place to facilitate adding public programs to
these community event calendars. Organizers plan to expand promotional coverage to the nearby
community of Ocala, a popular retirement area. Gainesville also has an active history
community. Through the various reenactment groups, book clubs, historical societies and
museums, and the public library, organizers plan to broadly promote the exhibition and related
programs to the public as well as across campus. Organizers will heavily promote the exhibition
and its programs to the various social science, liberal arts, and law school groups.

What is the size and demographics of our community?
Gainesville is a thriving and diverse college-town community with a rich cultural history. As of
2008, the permanent resident population of 124,490 swells by 50,000 students during the
academic year. It is demographically rich for its size: White Non-Hispanic (64.1%); Black
(23.2%); Hispanic (6.4%); Two or more races (2.2%); Other race (1.5%); Chinese (1.4%); Asian
Indian (1.1%); American Indian (0.7%); and Korean (0.5%).

Other local groups that will be interested in the proposed program include a number of UF
Centers and organizations established to explore issues in citizenship and diversity. The
Working Group on the Historical Study of Race brings together interested faculty, in the
humanities especially, to study ways to incorporate racial issues in interdisciplinary teaching.
The Senator Bob Graham Center for Public Service was recently established to promote
discussion on civic issues and to foster public leadership. Other academic centers which have
related interests include the Center for Jewish Studies, Women and Gender Studies Center, and
the Center for African American Studies.






University of Florida
George A. Smathers Libraries

The exhibitions and proposed public programs will be promoted to the greater Gainesville
community through the efforts of the Libraries' full time public information officer, Barbara
Hood, and collaborative community partners. Media and promotional outlets include WUFT
Channel 5 TV, TV20 news, Independent Florida Alligator, Gainesville Sun, Oak Hammock
Retirement Community Calendar, retired faculty listserv, Libraries' newsletter to donors and
friends, and the City of Gainesville's Division of Cultural Affairs online calendar. Recent
partnerships in planning and presenting public programming include Alachua County Library
District, University of Florida Alumni Association, Harn Museum of Art, Florida Museum of
Natural History, and the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program. Additionally, posters, banners,
flyers and signage are planned for each promotional effort. Additionally, specific promotional
plans will be developed with the project's partners and participants to inform specific target
audiences mentioned above that go beyond those reached by the Libraries' media contacts.

5. Describe the space your institution has available for exhibitions or provide a floor plan;
and 6. Can your library provide a computer station near the exhibition for access to Web
sites with interactive educational materials?
The Lincoln exhibition will be showcased in the renovated Smathers Library building of the
George A. Smathers Libraries. Smathers Library houses the Special & Area Studies collections
at the UF. The building is attractively located on campus and just two blocks from one of the
most heavily traveled intersections in Gainesville. When it first opened in October, 1926 as the
University Library, it was the largest building on campus. It was renamed Smathers Library in
1991 in honor of UF benefactor and former US Senator, George Smathers. Although the library
has been renovated and expanded over the years, it retains much of its exterior and interior
character and ornamentation. In 1979, Smathers Library was added to the National Register of
Historic Places and as such is a landmark in the Gainesville area.

Two areas in the Smathers Library building are being considered for showcasing the Lincoln
exhibition. One area is a newly repurposed and renovated room of approximately 3600 square
feet. This large open room contains flexible furniture (stackable chairs and modular tables on
wheels) and a workstation with a podium that projects on two large ceiling-mounted screens that
may be used to access relevant Websites, or to display related interactive educational materials,
slide presentations of relevant digitized resources or documentary films. The room is secured
with swipe-key access when not in use. This space has recently been used for the American
Library Association and PBS/Frontline-sponsored pilot program on Social Entrepreneurship, and
GIS Day, an all-day event to showcase the use of geographic information systems (GIS) to the
academic community and the public.

The second area being considered for the exhibit space in this building is the second floor lobby
adjacent to the Special & Area Studies Collections Grand Reading Room. This area of
approximately 1000 square feet is part of the Special & Area Studies exhibit space and within
sightline of its service desk. Wiring is available to set up a computer workstation for
presentations. With plans to display unique items from the Libraries' Special Collections that
complement the Lincoln Exhibition, this will also be an excellent location.






University of Florida
George A. Smathers Libraries

Both proposed spaces are in close proximity to the Smathers Library's main entrance and
provide access to ADA compliant bathrooms. An elevator provides visitors with access to the
second floor exhibit area. Libraries staff can provide a computer station in proposed locations.

The best location for the exhibition will be selected once the panels have been received and their
arrangement is determined. Either of the two locations in the Smathers Library building will
afford a wonderful venue for this exhibition. The routine of monitoring the exhibition at least
every half-hour during peak times and every hour at less busy times while it is open will be set
up to meet the program security requirements. A security guard employed by the Libraries on
Sunday will provide additional security for the exhibition.

Smathers Library is connected by a walkway to Library West which houses an information
commons with over 100 computer workstations. An additional planned activity will be to reserve
a bank of eighteen computer workstations for an interactive gaming event. Past gaming and
computer-related activities have included Guitar Hero and a NaNoWriMo Final Push event (the
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) allowed participants from the Gainesville
community to get together for a "final-push" write-in on the night before the deadline to
complete a 175-page (50,000-word) novel).

7. What is the scope of your current adult cultural programming-that is, your
programming in the last year?
The UF Libraries have a history of curating, presenting and promoting both physical and virtual
exhibitions that are of broad interest not only to the university community, but to the larger
Gainesville community. For example, in the last calendar year the Libraries presented six
exhibitions in Smathers Library and approximately 10 smaller displays in Library West. Another
15 public lectures and programs were primarily sponsored by the Libraries and others where the
Libraries played a co-sponsorship role. This represents a typical schedule of the Libraries' public
programming.

The Special Collections department is currently presenting (January 9 23) an exhibition
entitled "Cuba: Past, Present and Future Exhibit of Rarities." At the exhibition's opening on a
Sunday afternoon, an overflow audience of more than 150 enjoyed live Cuban music, and a
panel discussion that engaged the audience in an enthusiastic and sometimes emotional debate.
Patrons from as far away as Miami and Belle Glade traveled to Gainesville for this specific
event. The Cuba exhibit features UF Libraries' collections of rare books, manuscripts, maps,
photographs and other items from over 200 years of Cuban history and culture. Leading up to the
political season, the UF Libraries presented "Buttons, Badges and Bumper Stickers 160 years
of Presidential Campaigns," an exhibition of political memorabilia from American history which
featured ribbons from the campaigns of Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln, and emphasized
the role of Florida in national politics. The opening reception included a lecture and book signing
by David Colburn, author of From Yellow Dog Democrats to Red State Republicans (2008).
Another fascinating exhibition from the fall schedule, "Pop-up, Spin, Pull, Fold: Toy Books from
the Baldwin Library," featured pop-up and movable books from the Baldwin Library of
Historical Children's Literature.






University of Florida
George A. Smathers Libraries

In addition to the numerous exhibitions taken from its special collections, the UF Libraries also
host numerous interactive programs that actively draw in community members. An annual
example of this is GIS Day, hosted by the Library's Spatial Information Services Unit. This
event is designed to showcase the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to the academic
community and the public. Close to 200 students and community visitors attended the all day
event which included a poster session, guest speakers from UF's Geomatics Department and the
Geoplan Center and an interactive geocaching game. The Latin American Collection recently
hosted its eighth annual film day, screening films in the Latin American library throughout the
day. The Humanities and Social Science library held its third annual "Mystery in the Stacks"
library orientation program, geared to entice and introduce freshmen to the libraries on campus.
The Libraries as a whole also host an annual week-long read-a-thon which offers students,
invited guests and passers-by the opportunity to take a few minutes from their day and read out
loud from their favorite book or story.

8. In the last five years, has your library participated in any other program sponsored by
the ALA Public Programs Office?
The UF Libraries have hosted two different American Library Association supported programs
over the past five years. Three discussion sessions of the ALA/Nextbook Let's Talk about It:
Jewish Literature, Identity and Imagination grant series have been awarded. The first series of
five presentations ran in 2006, the second five presentations in 2008, and the third series of five
presentations will begin on February 1, 2009. The UF libraries were also awarded a grant funds
through the ALA/PB S Frontline pilot project for the purpose of developing community
awareness of social entrepreneurship and local opportunities to get involved. That program ran in
the fall of 2008.

9. Are there preferred dates between July 2009 and December 2011 when you would want
to display the exhibition?
Preferred dates to display the exhibition would be February March, 2010 or February March
2011. During these dates, classes are still in session at UF as well as at Santa Fe College and the
Alachua County and surrounding school districts, providing opportunities to serve these
audiences as well as the proposal's target audiences. These dates also coincide with area civil
war reenactments at Olustee Battlefield Historic Park and are best weather-wise for planned
associated outdoor events (also avoiding the June-November hurricane season).

10. Include the institution's ALA membership number if applicable and the library
director's name (if not the same as the project director). Is the Library Director aware of
this application and committed to supporting its implementation?
The University of Florida Libraries ALA membership number is 1046129. The Dean of
University Libraries, Judith Russell, gives her full commitment to support the proposed programs
as they are presented in this application.