The Allen Lastinger Center at the University of North Florida offers students and the public access to maps, artifacts and records that trace Florida and Southeast history from precontact times to the present.

The center is located on the second floor of the Thomas G. Carpenter Library. The center focuses primarily on transportation and economic history in the southeast from precontact to today, according to the UNF website.

The Allen Lastinger Center opened in 2023 after local philanthropist Allen Lastinger chose to bring his collection of maps, economic records, and artifacts to UNF and build a center around it. 

Hilary Streifer, the Allen Lastinger Center librarian, said the center opened “so we can provide access to the collection, and also grow the collection, and support any scholarships around Florida history.”

The collection has accepted donations from other families, including 52 volumes of Civil War army government records. The center also searches for new items to add to the collection and recently acquired some new books and maps, according to Streifer. 

The Allen Lastinger Center is not limited to local research; students and non-students alike are welcome to walk in and use the space as a quiet study room or to engage with the collection of books and maps in the center. Otherwise, people need to make appointments to access the other parts of the center.

The Allen Lastinger Center is open from Tuesday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for Summer hours. Monday is closed unless an appointment is made.

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