The Stimson Collection consists of many rare books on optics. At 900 volumes, it is the largest collection of optical books in the country.
The Stimson Collection is housed in a facility - the DTEC building - separate from the HCC Dale Mabry Campus Library. The items in the collection are listed in the HCC Libraries catalog, with a special designation, as described below.
Russell Stimson was a widely read author and owner of a large optical laboratory in California. The Stimson estate donated the collection to Canada College in Redwood City. When Canada College stopped offering an Opticianry program, the collection was placed in storage. The collection was then purchased by William Waterman who operated a private opticianry program in the San Francisco area. Bill and his wife Ann generously donated the collection to the Hillsborough Community College (HCC) Opticianry Program in Tampa, Florida. Bill is a former faculty member and Opticianry program manager at HCC.
A search for opticianry materials in HCC Libraries will often yield results that show a status of Checked out: Hillsborough/Dale Mabry Special Collection. The location will be identified as Stimson Collection. For example:
This is done to ensure that the item will not be removed to fill loan requests from other libraries.
If you wish to access such an item, you will need to make an appointment to visit the Stimson Collection. Please refer to the location, availability and contact information on this page.
Prof. Mary Seguiti,
Opticianry Department Chair
Use the search box below to find opticianry-related materials in HCC's Dale Mabry Campus Library Catalog. If any results are labeled as being located in the Stimson Collection, please refer to the Location, availability and contact info above.