New School Year, New Digital Collections
By David Cardillo, Digital Collections and Preservation
A new academic year is a great time to explore the University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press Digital Collections. Whether you are looking for a primary source for a paper, materials to support a course, or simply something unexpected to spark your curiosity, the Digital Collections offer thousands of photographs, documents, books, maps, recordings and other materials to explore.
In early 2025, we migrated our digital collections from Artstor, which has since shut down, to AM Quartex. While there is still work to be done to complete the migration, the majority of our digital collections are now available through Quartex and are publicly accessible. At the same time, we have been steadily adding new materials, giving students, faculty, researchers and the public even more to discover.
Among the newest additions are nearly 400 volumes in our Special Collections Print Materials collection. Our Trade Catalogs and Seed Catalogs collections are also available and continue to grow. Many of these materials come from Special Collections, but we are also digitizing rare and unique materials from the Library, Museums and Press general collections.
What can you find in the Digital Collections? More than you might expect.
From Campus Sculpture to Digital Collections
Take, for example, a work of art you may have passed on your way into Morris Library. Charles Allmond’s sculpture Ode to Joy is part of our digital collections, along with materials documenting the work and life of its creator.
Charles Allmond was a world-renowned sculptor, Delaware native, and University of Delaware alumnus. The digital collection offers an opportunity to learn more about the artist and explore materials that provide context for a work that is now part of the University’s physical landscape.
Delaware Politics, Documented
The Delaware Political Ephemera Collection offers another window into Delaware’s history. The collection includes flyers, clippings, mailers and other materials documenting political campaigns and races for both state and national offices.
Because new materials are added with each election cycle, the collection continues to evolve, providing a growing record of Delaware’s political history and the ways candidates and campaigns have communicated with voters over time.
An example of a political pamphlet for State Treasurer in the 2022 Delaware general election
Diaries, Journals and Ship’s Logs
Some of the most compelling primary sources are personal records—materials created by people as they documented their own lives and experiences.
Our Diaries, Journals, and Ship’s Logs collection, held in Special Collections, includes a growing number of digitized materials. Among them is the logbook of John Allen, a Merchant Marine aboard the Aubree.
A ship’s log can offer more than a record of a voyage. It can provide a glimpse into travel, commerce and everyday life at a particular moment in history—making these materials valuable primary sources for research and teaching.
Voices from Delaware’s Political History
The Digital Collections also provide access to the papers of Delaware statesmen, including former senators and representatives who served both in Dover and in Washington, D.C.
One example is Senator J. Allen Frear, Jr. papers. Frear represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate from 1949 to 1960. The collection includes papers and photographs, including photographs documenting Frear’s work and public appearances.
Below is a picture of Senator Frear (middle) introducing the Postmaster General to the Wilmington Postmaster.
The collection also includes audio-visual materials from Frear’s weekly radio addresses. You can listen to his March 13, 1953, address, in which he discussed Hawaii’s admission as the 49th state.
For students and researchers, materials like these offer something a textbook cannot: the opportunity to encounter historical voices and documents directly.
Exploring the French Revolution
We are also currently digitizing a large collection of pamphlets from the French Revolution. Information about each item is available in the collection, with digital images being added as individual items are digitized.
Because these materials are in French, they may be especially useful for students and faculty in French and other language and literature courses, as well as for researchers studying the French Revolution and its broader historical context. They can also serve as primary source material for history and other courses.
One example is 16th Germinal, An 2. Décret de la Convention nationale. Relatif aux comptes à rendre par les receveurs des consignations. 1794.
16th Germinal, An 2. Décret de la Convention nationale. Relatif aux comptes à rendre par les receveurs des consignations. 1794.
Interested in learning more? Earlier this year, guest blogger Zara Strauss explored this collection and the opportunities these materials offer for exploring French history through primary sources.
Your Next Research Discovery May Be Here
These examples represent just a small sampling of what you can find in the Library’s Digital Collections. Together, they reflect the breadth and depth of our collections, with materials ranging from photographs, postcards and maps to manuscripts, oral histories, audio recordings and more.
Whether you are a new student learning how to conduct research, a returning student looking for a primary source for a paper or project, a faculty member developing a course, or a researcher pursuing a particular question, we invite you to explore the University of Delaware Digital Collections.
You never know what you might find—and the right primary source may be just what your next paper, project or research question needs.