Exhibits

On Display Now

Greetings for Chattanooga and UTC Library Special Collections

Greetings from Chattanooga! Postcards from the Scenic City

As mass-produced, commercial objects, postcards' value as historical objects has often been overlooked. "Greetings from Chattanooga! Postcards from the Scenic City," curated by student assistant Wyn Seay ’26, explores the use and history of postcards. The exhibition features views of Chattanooga sites and attractions from the early 1900s through present day and examines the many functions and meanings of postcards, as correspondence, collectibles, advertisements, mementos, and historical records.

Location: Andrew Roth Grand Reading Room, LIB 402

Dates: August 2025 - August 2026

View the Exhibit

Online Exhibitions

A "Fiendish Crime" by an "Inhuman Monster": Local Media's Role in the Criminalization of Ed Johnson

On March 19, 1906, Ed Johnson was lynched by a mob for an alleged rape crime on the Walnut Street Bridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This exhibit explores the role of the local media in criminalizing Ed Johnson and inciting the violence that led to his murder.

Brochure from the 1960s for flights to South America; two books entitled Las Culturas Pre-Clasicas, Formativas o Arcaicas del Ecuador and Arqueologica de Manabi Central; a ruler; a pre-Columbian sherd with a polychromatic design; typewritten document; a box with United States stamps and the words "Air Mail" written on it; two mounted slide transparencies; ceramic human head figurine with incised features of a headdress and prominent necklace; and an article titled "A Transpacific Contact in 3000 B.C.

Investigating Provenance and Post-colonial Perspectives in the George and Louise Patten Collection of Salem Hyde Cultural Artifact

The George and Louise Patten collection of Salem Hyde papers and cultural artifacts provides opportunity for critical analysis of ownership and cultural appropriation of pre-Columbian material culture. Images from Hyde’s travels throughout Latin America and compelling interviews with scholars featured in this exhibition make sense of the artifacts appropriated by Hyde in 1969, and help us interpret their significance from a post-colonial perspective that seeks to acknowledge, respect, and credit the original creators.

Voice of a Naturalist: Life Lessons from the Writings of Robert Sparks Walker

This exhibit is but a small view into the multi-faceted life of Robert Sparks Walker, presenting personal correspondence, photographs, as well as original poetry and manuscripts that exemplify the effect of his naturalist beliefs on his writing and the Chattanooga community.

Physical Exhibitions

Review our past displays.

From Quackery to Quality: 100 Years of Medical Manufacturing in Chattanooga, 1865-1965
Location: Andrew Roth Grand Reading Room, LIB 402
Dates: August 2024 - July 2025

CROWD-ENERGIZING MISSION: A UTC MASCOT RETROSPECTIVE
Location: Andrew Roth Grand Reading Room, LIB 402
Dates: February 20, 2024 - August 9, 2024

TRANSFORMATION: EXPLORING THE ART OF BOOKMAKING WITH BARRY MOSER
Location: Andrew Roth Grand Reading Room, LIB 402
Dates: August 28, 2023 - January 31, 2024

“UNITY, POWER, AND FREEDOM!” : BLACK STUDENT HISTORY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA
Location: Andrew Roth Grand Reading Room, LIB 402
Dates: February 1, 2023 - August 28, 2023

Thirteen Decades of Back to School Traditions and Campus Growth
Location: George Connor Special Collections Reading Room, LIB 439
Dates: August 19, 2019 – December 16, 2019

Barry Moser Wood Engravings: Illustrated Art Editions and Portfolios from Special Collections
Location: Andrew Roth Grand Reading Room, LIB 402
Dates: August 19, 2019 – December 16, 2019

"We Demand an End to Racism!" : The Civil Rights Movement in Chattanooga
Location: George Connor Special Collections Reading Room, LIB 439
Dates: February 1, 2019 – August 10, 2019

"A New Institution with a Running Start" : Celebrating 50 Years of UTC
Location: Andrew Roth Grand Reading Room, LIB 402
Dates: January 7, 2019 – August 10, 2019

From Suffrage to Congress: Chattanooga Women at the Polls and in the House
Location: George Connor Special Collections Reading Room, LIB 439
Dates: August 1, 2018 – February 1, 2019

Training for The Great War: Chattanooga’s Role
Locations: Andrew Roth Grand Reading Room, LIB 402
Dates: August 1, 2018 – January 7, 2018

Chattanooga's Sweet History
Locations: Andrew Roth Grand Reading Room, LIB 402, and George Connor Special Collections Reading Room, LIB 439
Dates: January 1, 2018 – August 1, 2018

UTC RAVE Alert

Weather Update - 8/13/25 5:00 AM