Fun Fact Friday with Special Collections

Today we are celebrating our state bird, the brown pelican, who also appears on our flag.

It was Oct. 13, 1970, when the brown pelican was placed on the Endangered Species List. It was determined that widespread pesticide contamination was the culprit. Like many large birds, DDT buildup in the bodies of the birds led to thin-shelled eggs that were easily broken during incubation. Once DDT was banned, the birds began to see an increase in numbers and was removed from the Endangered Species List on Nov. 11, 2009.

More information about the brown pelican can be found in:

Fun Fact Friday with Special Collections

Today we are highlighting the Cajun and Creole Music Collection (CCMC).

The CCMC consists of over 9,000 commercial recordings, selected non-commercial recordings, and other music-related research materials.

Formats include both analog and digital media: 78rpm, 45rpm, and LP (33 ⅓) records, 8-track tapes, audio-cassette tapes, CDs, VHS tapes, and DVDs. The expanding collection also contains books, periodicals, photographs, artifacts, manuscripts and other archival materials.

Fun Fact Friday with Special Collections

Today we are gearing up for Homecoming, which is just 2 weeks away!

Special Collections has a new display up celebrating UL Lafayette football through the years. Included are an SLI pennant, a USL football helmet, USL flags, posters, and a variety of other memorabilia, spanning football from SLII, SLI, USL, and UL Lafayette. This display can be found in the entrance to the library on the 1st floor.

Fun Fact Friday with Special Collections

This week, we are taking a look at Collection 45, the Jefferson Caffery Collection.

Caffery was a member of the first class enrolled in Southwestern Industrial Institute (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) in 1902, and graduated from Tulane University in 1906. He read law with his father for three years and was admitted to the bar, but chose to pursue a career as a diplomat instead.

Fun Fact Friday with Special Collections

Today we will be talking about the anniversary of the Battle of Queue de Tortue.

Today in 1859, disputes between outlaws and vigilantes came to a head in the Battle of Queue de Tortue. This battle was the result of rising tensions between the Acadians and their “American” neighbors. The “Americans” formed a vigilante committee which grew to several hundred strong. They took 24 prisoners and gave the leaders a hundred lashes of the whip at the border between Lafayette and St. Landry parishes. In 1986, the movie Belizare the Cajun was released which chronicles this battle.

Fun Fact Friday with Special Collections

This week, we are highlighting two collections, the collections of Mary Alice Fontenot.

Born in 1910, she kicked off her best-known series with the publication of her first Clovis Crawfish book in 1961; however, she began her writing career as a journalist in the 1940s, writing features and book reviews for several Louisiana newspapers. In addition, she also hosted a radio show in Crowley and taught kindergarten.

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