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Exhibits, Events and News

University Libraries offer students, faculty, staff and the entire community opportunities to engage with our collections and expert staff. Learn how we support research and discovery of all types, and let us know if you've got a libraries story you'd like us to share. 

Latest News

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Join Us for the Fall Literary Festival 2024

Great writers, readers and friends will gather for three author visits in September and October for the University of South Carolina Fall Literary Festival.

“There Is So Much Energy From People Who Love USC”: An Interview With University Historian Evan Faulkenbury

Housed in University Libraries, Dr. Faulkenbury will serve as the principal resource on matters of historic interpretation, representation, and commemoration of the University of South Carolina for the university community and beyond.

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South Caroliniana Library Earns Preservation Honor Award

The renovated South Caroliniana Library has been recognized with a 2024 Preservation Honor Award.

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Faculty in Arts and Sciences, Education Honored with 2024 SCoer Awards

Four USC Columbia faculty members have been recognized by University Libraries with 2024 SCoer Awards. 

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University Libraries Hosts 2024 ASERL Meeting

University of South Carolina Libraries hosted the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) 2024 Annual Meeting and Spring Membership Meeting last week.

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USC Appoints University Historian

Dr. Evan Faulkenbury, associate professor of history at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland, will join the University of South Carolina as its University Historian on August 16, 2024.  

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Congratulations to This Year's Undergraduate Research Award Winners

Eleven students have won 2023-2024 University Libraries Undergraduate Research Awards.

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Rare Books and a Rare Gift for Inspired Teaching: Librarian Jeanne Britton Earns Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award

A University Libraries faculty member is one of four faculty members campus wide to be recognized with a prestigious undergraduate teaching award.

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Dr. Michael Weisenburg Promoted to Director of the Irvin Department

After serving in increasingly responsible roles since he joined the department in 2013, Dr. Michael Weisenburg has been promoted to Director of the Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. 

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Digital Humanities Working Group Offers Research Support for Scholars

Digital Humanities Working Group, an offshoot of USC's Humanities Collaborative that's supported by the Digital Research Services team at University Libraries, has developed a range of resources for faculty who want to explore the ways computational tools can enhance their research.

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USC students bring untold history of Sumter, S.C., to the public

Public history student Stevie Malenowski spent his summer digitizing images from boxes of archival materials, uncovering the history of the Williams Furniture Company, a staple of Sumter, South Carolina, for decades, alongside specialists at University Libraries.

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University Libraries Provides Wall Street Journal Subscriptions to All Faculty, Staff and Students

University of South Carolina Libraries has added The Wall Street Journal to the roster of publications it makes available to USC students, faculty and staff free of charge.

After a total renovation, South Caroliniana Library shines again

After a $10 million renovation, South Caroliniana Library, the nation’s oldest free-standing academic library and the most iconic building on campus, is once again a showplace – ready to welcome visitors to the home of one of the largest collections of Southern and American history. 

USC exhibit highlights Latinx history and impact in South Carolina

Narciso Gonzales, with his brothers, founded The State newspaper in 1891. Narciso's fiery op-eds led to his death, but he went down in history as one of the greatest journalists in South Carolina history. This story and more is part of an exhibit at USC during Hispanic Heritage month.

USC Press and University Libraries launch open-access publishing platform

The University of South Carolina Press and University Libraries are embarking on a new collaborative venture: Open Carolina, an open-access publishing platform.

“Hidden in plain sight": Special Collections Fall Exhibit Explores LGBTQ+ History at USC and Beyond

The history of LGBTQ+ culture and activism at the University of South Carolina is both richer and more complex than many realize. 

Equipping Graduate Students with Advanced Tools for Professional Success: SHARPGrads Program Teaches Specialized Research Skills

Strong research skills are critical to the success of graduate students.

Join us for the Fall Literary Festival 2023

Join us for the Fall Literary Festival 2023This year’s festival begins Oct. 11. Three authors. Three nights. All free.

University Libraries Welcomes Nathan Saunders as Director of the South Caroliniana Library

Dr. Saunders, who currently serves as Associate Director for Library Specialized Collections at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, will assume his new role on November 1. 

Four Faculty Members Recognized with 2023 SCoer Awards

Congratulations to the four USC faculty members who are recipients of this year’s University Libraries SCoer awards: Michael Grant, College of Education, Jin Liu, College of Education, Hengtao Tang, College of Education and Kasie Whitener, Darla Moore School of Business.

Treasures from the Vault

From undergrad assignment to world-renowned collection, Richard Layman’s gift sheds light on hard-boiled detective novelist

Congratulations to this year’s Undergraduate Research Award winners

Eight students have won 2022-2023 University Libraries Undergraduate Research Awards

David Banush named dean of University Libraries

David Banush, dean of libraries and academic information resources at Tulane University, has been named dean of USC's University Libraries, effective Nov. 1.

First recipient of Joel Myerson Internship learns hands-on at Libraries

Over the course of the summer, Parkin was exposed to multiple aspects of librarianship at the Irvin Department, from conservation to digitization.

Four faculty win SCoer awards for 2022

Congratulations to the four recipients of this year’s SCoer faculty awards. 

Congratulations to this year’s Undergraduate Research Award winners

Six students have won 2021-2022 University Libraries Undergraduate Research Awards.

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Correspondence with Otto Frank, father to Anne Frank, blossoms into decades-long connection

In 1957, 12-year-old Cara Wilson-Granat wrote a letter to Otto Frank, father of Holocaust victim and world-renowned diarist Anne Frank, and was surprised to receive a response from him.

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Catesby in the Carolinas exhibit explores southeastern nature in 1700s

You’re invited to step back 300 years into the natural history of the Carolinas at Catesby in the Carolinas, a double-venue exhibit co-hosted by the USC Libraries and McKissick Museum.

To honor a legend

University Libraries and Historic Columbia partner to tell Modjeska Simkins' story.

USC virtual film project awarded two-year National Endowment for the Humanities grant

The $349,106 grant will fund development of software that will revolutionize online inspection of digitized archival films.

Reel life: rare USC films are in high demand

"We license about 200 films a year, so over the course of 40-plus years, that's thousands of productions our films have been featured in," says Lydia Pappas, interim director of MIRC.

Gift of rare Third Folio enhances USC’s Shakespeare collection

The gift, along with the university’s copies of the Second and Fourth Folios, will provide a rare opportunity for students, faculty and other researchers.

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KISS collection rocks on at USC Libraries

University Libraries will be home to a one-of-a-kind collection of memorabilia from the rock band KISS.

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Ray Bradbury fan donates lifelong collection to USC Libraries

Hardin’s Bradbury collection, which she recently gifted to the Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at USC Libraries, grew over the decades.

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Enhancing the TCoop experience

New partnership creates a playbook for supporting student success

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Supporting digital scholarship

New centralized services connect faculty with technology access and support

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USC Libraries is now home to the Catesby Centre

The new Mark Catesby Centre at the University of South Carolina brings attention to the innovative work and influence of 17th-century English naturalist Mark Catesby.

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Fairfield High School Oral History Collection now online

Learn about rural life in Fairfield County, South Carolina before, during and after the era of desegregation and school integration from people who experienced it.

Upcoming Events & Exhibits

Geospatial Data Vis: ArcGIS and QGIS

Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024

Location: See event description for more details.

Cost: Free

Military History at the University of South Carolina Walking Tour

Monday, Nov. 11, 2024

Location: South Caroliniana Library 910 Sumter Street

Cost: Free

The Good, the Bad & the Naked of USC History: Historic Horseshoe History Tour

Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024

Location: South Caroliniana Library 110

Cost: 0

The Business of Academic Publishing

Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024

Location: See event description for more details.

View the Calendar

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