The University of California announced on Apr. 21 a showcase of ten unique treasures from its campus libraries’ special collections, ranging from historical manuscripts to rare comic books and artwork. The public can access these materials by making an appointment to visit in person or explore many items online.
These collections are significant because they preserve objects and stories that offer insight into cultural, scientific, and artistic developments across centuries. They also provide opportunities for the public to engage directly with primary sources that might otherwise remain hidden.
Among the highlighted items is the Danz Collection at UC San Francisco’s Kalmanovitz Library, which features dozens of handblown glass eyeballs crafted in 1880s Germany as medical teaching tools. UC Irvine’s Special Collections houses Shakespeare’s First Folio from 1623—one of only 235 surviving copies—which played a key role in preserving many of Shakespeare’s plays. At UC Riverside, early “Black Panther” comics in the Eaton Collection mark milestones in American pop culture and representation.
Other notable pieces include the Koba-Russel Sketchbook at UC San Diego—a set of Plains Indian ledger drawings documenting Native American life during a period of upheaval—and costume designs by Dunya Ramicova at UC Merced, which illustrate imaginative stage worlds created for major operatic productions. UCLA holds records from Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company, reflecting Black entrepreneurship and community history through photographs and ephemera.
UC Santa Barbara preserves posters and records from the Royal Chicano Air Force artist collective, while UC Santa Cruz offers photographic documentation of Berryessa Valley before it was submerged to create Lake Berryessa. The Amy Tan archive at UC Berkeley includes personal artifacts tracing her literary journey and family history. Finally, detailed pomological watercolors by Ellen Isham Schutt at UC Davis reflect agricultural research heritage dating back over a century.
The university says these special collections are open resources for both scholars and members of the public interested in exploring diverse aspects of history, science, art, and literature.
