Special and Area Studies is home to more than thirty staff and faculty who work across our collections to make them more accessible and approachable. We provide reference assistance, virtual access, as well as public services in our three reading rooms.
Scroll down to see more information about our faculty members and our public services personnel. Click the buttons below to view our organization chart or to jump to an alphabetical table of contact information.
Department Leadership
Interim Chair and Head of the Map & Imagery Library
Carol McAuliffe
Areas of Specialization:
Geography and Maps
Telephone: (352) 273-2828
Email: carolmc@uflib.ufl.edu
Interim Associate Chair & Curator, Panama Canal Museum Collection
John Nemmers
Areas of Specialization:
Panama Canal Museum Collection
Architecture Archives
Telephone: (352) 273-2766
Email: jnemmers@ufl.edu
Collection Managers
For more information about the collections in SASC please visit our Collections Page
Florida History Coordinator
Bridget Bihm-Manuel
Areas of Specialization:
Florida History (20th Century)
Public Health
Telephone: (352) 294-1052
Email: bmbm@ufl.edu
Curator of the baldwin library
Ramona Caponegro
Areas of Specialization:
Children’s Literature
Telephone: (352) 273-2623
Email: ramonac@ufl.edu
University Archivist
Sarah Coates
Areas of Specialization:
University Archives
Telephone: (352) 273-2817
Email: sarah.coates@ufl.edu
Curator of the PK Yonge Library of Florida History
Jim Cusick
Areas of Specialization:
Florida History
Artificial Intelligence Research
Telephone:(352) 273-2778
Email: jamcusi@uflib.ufl.edu
Head of the Price Library of Judaica
Rebecca Jefferson
Areas of Specialization:
Jewish Studies
Telephone: (352) 273-2865
Email: rjefferson@ufl.edu
LACC Digital initiatives librarian
Melissa Jerome
Areas of Specialization:
Digital Projects
Caribbean Newspapers
Telephone: (352) 273-2637
Email: mmespino@ufl.edu
Associate in Book Arts
Ellen Knudson
Areas of Specialization:
Artists Books
Letterpress Printmaking
Telephone: (352) 273-2787
Email: eknudson@ufl.edu
Governors House Library Collection Coordinator
Laura Marion
Telephone: (904) 770-3429
Email: lauramarion@ufl.edu
Curator of the African Studies Collections
Dan Reboussin
Areas of Specialization:
African Studies
Telephone: (352) 273-2642
Email: danrebo@ufl.edu
Literary Collections Archivist
Florence Turcotte
Areas of Specialization:
Manuscripts
African-American Studies
Telephone: (352) 273-2767
Email: turcotte@ufl.edu
University Historian Emeritus
Carl Van Ness
Areas of Specialization:
University Archives
Manuscripts
Special collections librarian
Margarita Vargas-Betancourt
Areas of Specialization:
Caribbean Studies
Cuban Collections
Haitian Collections
Telephone: (352) 273-2692
Email: mvargasb@ufl.edu
Curator of the Rare Book Collection
Neil Weijer
Areas of Specialization:
Medieval and Early Modern Studies
Printing History
Rare Books
Telephone: (352) 273-5743
Email: n.weijer@ufl.edu
Governors House Library Collections Assistant
Casey Wooster
Telephone: (904) 770-3429
Email: cawoo@ufl.edu
Public Services
Our public services manage the operation of our three reading rooms. Unsure whom to contact? Use our reference form.
Public services coordinator – Grand Reading Room
Michele Wilbanks
For Reference Inquiries:
special@uflib.ufl.edu
Telephone: (352) 273-2819
Email: wilbanks@ufl.edu
Public Services Coordinator – Latin American & Caribbean Collections
Keith Manuel
For Reference Inquiries:
laccref@ufl.edu
Telephone: (352) 273-2540
Email: kmanuel@ufl.edu
Public Services Assistant – Grand Reading Room
Steven Hersh
Telephone: (352) 273-2543
Email: s.hersh@ufl.edu
Map & Imagery Library Senior Archivist
Jennifer Farrington
Telephone: (352) 273-2826
Email: jenfarr@uflib.ufl.edu
Digital Services specialist
Caleb Del Rio
Telephone: (352) 273-2756
Email: jacob.delrio@ufl.edu
Public Services Assistant – Latin American & Caribbean Collections
Lori Johnson
Telephone: (352) 273-2689
Email: ma.johnson@ufl.edu
Staff Directory (Alphabetical)
Contact information for all of our faculty and staff.
| Name | Title | Phone # | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betsy Bemis | Associate Curator of the Panama Canal Museum Collection | (352) 273-2676 | ehbemis@ufl.edu |
| Bridget Bihm-Manuel | Florida History Coordinator | (352) 294-1052 | bmbm@ufl.edu |
| Ramona Caponegro | Curator of the Baldwin Library of Historical Childrens’ Literature | (352) 273-2623 | ramonac@ufl.edu |
| Sarah Coates | University Archivist | (352) 273-2817 | sarah.coates@ufl.edu |
| Pam Cunningham-Williams | Library Assistant, Collection Services Unit | (352) 273-2758 | pamwill@uflib.ufl.edu |
| Jim Cusick | Curator of the P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History | (352) 273-2778 | jamcusi@uflib.ufl.edu |
| Caleb Del Rio | Digital Services Specialist | (352) 273-2756 | jacob.delrio@ufl.edu |
| Jennifer Farrington | Map Library Senior Archivist | (352) 273-2826 | jenfarr@uflib.ufl.edu |
| Steven Hersh | Public and Support Services Assistant, Grand Reading Room | (352) 273-2543 | s.hersh@ufl.edu |
| Rebecca Jefferson | Head of the Price Library of Judaica | (352) 273-2865 | rjefferson@ufl.edu |
Mailing Addresses
Department of Special & Area Studies Collections
P.O. Box 117005
205 Smathers Library
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-7005
Physical Address: 1508 Union Road, Gainesville, FL 32611-7005
Price Library of Judaica
P.O. Box 117010
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-7010
Latin American and Caribbean Collection
P.O. Box 117009
Smathers Library
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-7009
Map & Imagery Library
P.O. Box 117001
112 Smathers Library
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-7022
Governor’s House Library
University of Florida
48 King Street
St. Augustine, FL 32084