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Using the Library: COVID-19 Response

09/13/2021
Virginia Alexander Cononie
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We are so excited to welcome new and returning library users to our renovated space. Whether you are here to study, ask questions, conduct research, attend class, or meet up with friends, we are happy to see you. We want to create a healthy environment that supports study, research, and relaxation.

Student and Library Patron Users should:

Library Faculty and Staff will:

  • Follow Guidelines
    The library is following guidance from USC Upstate, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), and US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
  • Vax UP
    Library Faculty and Staff are getting vaccinated.
  • Mask UP 
    Library Faculty and Staff are wearing masks at service desks and have extras for those who need them.
  • Clean UP 
    The Library offers complimentary masks, disinfectant wipes, and hand sanitizer to limit the spread of COVID-19. University Housekeeping is diligently cleaning shared spaces.
  • Stay home if we are feeling sick.
  • Take Concerns 
    If while using the library you have a concern or need, please approach any service desk and share it with the library faculty and staff member.
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Library Spotlight - Meet Tessie Holiday!
02/12/2025
Virginia Alexander Cononie
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Tessie Holliday, Library Technician Assistant

  1. What are some of the Library's most commonly asked questions? 

    1. Where can I study/plug in my laptop? Lots of places! We can walk around together to see what might work best for you.  Just ask.

    2. How do I print something in the library? This page is super helpful when learning how to print at the library. - https://uscupstate.libguides.com/TechHelp/printing 

    3. Where is [a professor's office/campus resource/the dining hall]? We have a ton of maps and lists at each of the service desks, but here is a link to some common telephone numbers that might help. https://uscupstate.libguides.com/UpstateFAQ 

    4. What time do you close? Check our library hours here 

    5. Do you have a charger I could borrow? 

  2. What are you reading right now? 

    1. I'm just starting Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and Night by Elie Wiesel, and I'm in the midst of reading Neuroqueer Heresies by Nick Walker and, The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater 

  3. What is something you want students to know about the library? 

    1. I want students to know that they don't need to struggle alone! College life can be overwhelming and stressful, and it's hard to know where to start when you need help with a problem. Librarians are good problem-solvers, so whether it's help with the research process, finding a campus or community resource, or connecting you with the right people to answer your questions, the library is a great starting place. We're here to help you!

Library intern suggestion:

Celebrate Black History Month! Check out these great contributors to our history/literature and many more: Read inspiring poetry by Maya Angelou, the empowering words of Martin Luther King Jr., or the bravery of Rosa Parks.

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Shovels at the ready! Library expansion breaks ground
04/05/2024
John Barnett
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A row of construction helmets and shovels featuring the USC Upstate logo. The shovels are sticking out of the ground and the helmets are placed on top.It's happening!

The ground has finally been broken on a $21 million addition to the USC Upstate Library building. Construction on the new addition will start in May 2024 and continue until summer 2025. The South Carolina General Assembly provided the funding for this building, the first new construction on the USC Upstate campus since 2009.

The new addition will provide a campus focal point for student success services, such as advising, tutoring, study hall, and career management, and the Center for International Education.

In the current architectural plan, a bridge will connect the addition to the existing library's 2nd floor. Student Success, Career Management, and other Academic Affairs operations currently located on the library's 2nd floor will relocate to the new building once it is complete.

Once those services move to their new home, another round of library renovations will begin. Future renovations include improved access to the library from the parking lot, more study rooms and improved quiet study space, and a digital learning lab/makerspace.

 

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Let Freedom Read! Banned Books Week
10/05/2023
John Barnett
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Let Freedom Read - Banned Books Week 2023During the week of October 1 through 7, 2023, the American library world commemorates Banned Books Week, a national effort to celebrate the freedom to read and the freedom to view while drawing attention to the hundreds of challenges that libraries and schools face each year to censor and remove books and other materials from their collections.

Book challenges and bans are happening ... a lot

As the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom notes, "In a time of intense political polarization, library staff in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books." In 2022, the American Library Association (ALA) documented 1,269 requests to ban library books and resources, the highest number of attempts since ALA began keeping track more than 20 years ago.

An attempt to ban library materials often impacts numerous titles. In 2022, the 1,269 documented demands to remove materials from libraries targeted 2,571 titles. While no one person, group, or type of library material is immune from censorship, such efforts inordinately target works "by or about LGBTQIA+ persons and Black, Indigenous, and people of color." 

In the effort to censor library materials, school and public libraries bear the brunt of the challenges while college and university libraries account for only 1% of all would-be censors' demands. A survey commissioned by ALA in 2022 "confirmed national, bipartisan support for the freedom to read" finding that 7 out of 10 American voters "oppose efforts to remove books from public libraries, including majorities of voters across party lines." Nevertheless, censorship has the potential to impact entire communities, age groups, and audiences. Some 82% of challenges in 2022 targeted books, graphic novels, and textbooks, but films, displays, exhibits, programs, and meeting rooms are also targeted.

Here's how to help

There are ways you can get involved, to voice your concerns about censorship, celebrate free expression, and show the importance of intellectual freedom. The ALA Banned and Challenged Books website provides guidance on what you can do to resist censorship and "let freedom read." The Advocacy Committee of the South Carolina Library Association (SCLA) offers another way to stay informed, show support, and get involved, as does the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL).

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