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About the Library


Whether you are new to USC Upstate or a returning member of the University community, I want to welcome you to the Upstate Library.

We are excited that you're here!

Last year, we started the fall semester with a newly renovated building and a refreshed web presence. This year, the library environment feels more settled.

  • Our Research and Reference librarians are ready to dive deep into our resources to help you find the information and research you need.
  • Our Instruction librarians are eager to work with you to provide information literacy sessions for students.
  • We're building our print and digital collections so that they remain relevant to the University curriculum.
  • When we don't have what you need, our Access Services staff can often get it for you through our PASCAL Delivers and interlibrary loan services.
  • Access Services staff can also help with course materials placed on reserve, checking out library materials and equipment, and technology troubleshooting.
  • And don't forget Archives and Special Collections, which can help with resources that document the history and development of the 10-country region that comprises Upstate South Carolina, as well as the University.

You can see what's available from the library by visiting our homepage, then using "Search the Library" at the top of the page. And if you don't see what you want, then please call, email, chat, or visit—We'll be happy to help you locate what you need.

Just because things feel more settled doesn't mean we're standing still. Far from it! Our librarians and library assistants are always learning more about student, staff, and faculty research and information needs in order to improve our services, spaces, and collections. We want you to consider us supportive partners in student persistence and success.

So, whether continuing the work we do or trying something new, one thing endures: Our commitment to provide USC Upstate students, staff, and faculty with superlative services and collections from an energized, engaged library faculty and staff.

John Barnett Joins Upstate as New Library Dean

Up Magazine / John Barnett Joins Upstate as New Library Dean
https://up.uscupstate.edu/john-barnett-joins-upstate-new-library-dean/ 

As the new dean of the USC Upstate Library, John Barnett has large shoes to fill. He succeeds Frieda Davison, who retires after 21 years as Library dean. Barnett will oversee the completion of a major renovation of the Library building and the implementation of a statewide library shared service platform, among other responsibilities.

“I’m really excited to join USC Upstate as the new Library dean,” Barnett said. “I look forward to working with the University community and Library faculty and staff to have a direct, positive impact on services that support teaching, learning and research.”

Barnett, originally of Swansboro, N.C., has more than 25 years of experience in library management, leadership, collections, outreach to diverse audiences, grant writing, scholarly communication, and reference and instructional services. Most recently, he served as executive director of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL), an academic library consortium headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Prior to joining OCUL in 2015, Barnett served as the scholarly communications librarian for the University of Pittsburgh Library System, where he worked with students and faculty on issues that included open access to research literature, author rights, copyright and altmetrics. He was co-editor of Pennsylvania Libraries: Research and Practice, an open access journal.

“The dean of the Library plays a vital role in USC Upstate’s commitment to academic excellence, collaborative teaching and learning, and community engagement,” said USC Upstate Provost David Schecter. “I am very excited that John has agreed to come and work with us and believe he will do a terrific job.”

Barnett has also served as assistant director of the Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium; director of collection development at Gettysburg College’s Musselman Library; head of collection development at the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) Library; head of the UTSA’s Downtown Campus Library; and reference librarian at the San Antonio Public Library. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, writing and editing from East Carolina University. In 1995, he graduated from the Master of Library and Information Studies program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Constructed in 1976, USC Upstate’s 60,000-square-foot Library houses more than 220,000 volumes and an ever-expanding archive that includes special collections and artifacts related to the history of the 10-county region of Upstate, South Carolina.