Panama Canal Museum Collection

The Panama Canal Museum Collection (PCMC) in the Department of Special & Area Studies Collections (SASC) is a leading research collection for the study of the American era of the Panama Canal. The collection documents activities and experiences in the Panama Canal Zone and in the country of Panama. To a lesser degree, the collection also preserves historical information about the Canal prior and subsequent to U.S. construction and operation.

The PCMC preserves and provides access to the historically significant and distinctive materials in the collection in order to facilitate knowledge creation and dissemination. As a part of the Panama and The Canal project, the PCMC supports and advances the commitment of the George A. Smathers Libraries to excellence in education and research and contributes to the University of Florida’s standing as a preeminent public research university.

When the Panama Canal Museum at Seminole, Florida, closed on July 31, 2012, after fourteen years, it transferred its collections to the University of Florida. The UF George A. Smathers Libraries, home to one of the largest and most respected Latin American and Caribbean repositories in the U.S., are uniquely qualified to offer continued access to the collections of the former Panama Canal Museum long into the future.

For further information on the Panama Canal Museum Collection, please contact: