Skip to content Skip to navigation

10 Hidden Treasures from UC Special Collections

Fri, April 24, 2026 8:50 AM

Published today! UC’s Newsroom features extraordinary objects in UC Libraries including UC Merced’s own Archives & Special Collections.

“Tucked away in quiet reading rooms and climate-controlled stacks across the libraries of the University of California are collections that rival the great museums in the world.” 

The 10 highlights include costume designs from UC Merced professor emerita Dunya Ramicova. Her vivid illustrations are available for viewing in Calisphere.

Visit “10 hidden treasures from UC special collections” for more delights ranging from Shakespeare’s First Folio to photographs of Death Valley. 

Here’s to National Library Week, 2026 and the amazing collections stewarded by the UC Libraries. Cheers!

Three illustrations including woman in teal dress with the head of a bird, woman in a gold robe and red backdrop, and man in orange spacesuit

Above: Multiple images from the Dunya Ramicova costume design collection

 

Illustration of woman in fitted blazer and shirt in yellow with black shoes, broach and buttons; partial pencil drawings of purse and jacket at right

Ariadne Utterwood -- Act 1

 

Illustration of three men each in different attire including casual shirt and short pants, to black boots, pants, coat and cloak, to decorative dress with green and red cloak and hat

Boyet, Marcade, and Don Adriano De Armado

 

Color illustrations of four couriers in ornate clothing

Courtiers