The Collections

Believing that a strong academic enterprise welcomes and thrives upon collections, The University of Texas at Austin has long been one of the world’s distinguished collecting universities. Its holdings, spanning more than 170 million objects, result from research and pedagogical interests that cover a radical range of subjects—archaeology, ethnography, fine and performing arts, rare books and manuscripts, decorative arts, photography, film, music, popular and material culture, regional and political history, natural history, science, and technology.

The Collections: The University of Texas at Austin offers the first sweeping guide to the university’s irreplaceable artifacts. It introduces some eighty discrete collections by outlining their histories, highlighting their strengths, and suggesting their educational functions.

Andrée Bober is the founding director of Landmarks, the public art program of The University of Texas at Austin. She conceived this survey and organized more than three hundred and fifty individuals to lend their expertise. Included is an historical introduction by Lewis L. Gould that traces the formation of the collections and acknowledges many people whose visions are manifest in these material resources.