USC Upstate Library News

This holiday season we hope that you will consider donating to the University Libraries Excellence Fund, especially on #GivingTuesday.The library does a lot with the money it receives, but we can do more. Your contributions would help us:

• Support our student textbook collection
• Sponsor more activities, programs, and exhibits
• Expand and enhance our technology
• Improve our facilities
• Add more books, streaming media, and other resources 
• Fund internship opportunities

Remember, when donating, be sure to designate "University Libraries Excellence Fund" as the area for your gift. We welcome your participation and if you have ideas or suggestions about enhancements, innovations, funding opportunities, and community engagement connections for the library, please reach out to University Advancement or Dean John Barnett. We would love to hear from you and want to make the USC Upstate Library useful and inspiring. 

On Veterans Day and throughout the year, we would like to acknowledge, honor, and celebrate America's veterans. We are especially grateful for and proud of Upstate students, staff, and faculty who have served in the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard.

To commemorate Veterans Day 2023, the Library's Displays Committee has mounted an exhibit of books, DVDs, and other materials in our collections that represent the service, accomplishments, and challenges of America's veterans. You can find this display on the Library's 1st floor just past the Research service desk, adjacent to the Library's book stacks. The materials in the collection are available for borrowing.

In addition, we are also exhibiting a selection of Veterans Day posters in the Library. This exhibit includes the 2023 poster pictured here, as well as a selection of posters from past Veterans Day commemorations. These posters are located along the wall near the main staircase on the Library's 1st floor. 

You can find these and other images by visiting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Veterans Day poster gallery via the Department's Flickr page. All images are in the public domain and free to use and display.

Please join us in thanking and celebrating America's and Upstate's veterans for their service and commitment to the nation.

The USC Upstate Latin American Student Organization (LASO), in collaboration with the library, has mounted a Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos altar. The altar is located on the library’s 1^st floor, near the café; it will remain in place through at least Friday, November 3.

This year’s altar pays homage to a number of artists and performers. Those memorialized include—

• Cantinflas (actor, comedian, producer, screenwriter; Mexico)
• Cepillín (professional clown, performer; Mexico)
• Chespirito (actor, comedian, filmmaker; Mexico)
• Celia Cruz (singer, actress; Cuba/U.S.)
• Vicente Fernández (actor and ranchera singer; Mexico)
• Juan Gabriel (singer, songwriter; Mexico)
• Gabriel García Marquez (author, Nobel laureate; Colombia)
• Pedro Infante (actor, singer; Mexico)
• Frida Kahlo (painter; Mexico)
• Selena Quintanilla (Tejano singer; U.S.)
• Diego Rivera (painter, muralist; Mexico)
• Jenni Rivera (singer; U.S.)
• Sylvia Rivera (LGBTQ+ rights activist; U.S.)
• Carmen Salinas (actress, politician; Mexico)
• Chalino Sánchez (singer; Mexico)

There are books and films by and about several of those memorialized. Photos along with QR codes point viewers to biographical sketches about others honored. There’s also a Day of the Dead LibGuide for those who want to know more about the holiday and the meaning behind many of the decorations.

Image: Cempasuchil or Marigold by Lajuarezo - Template:Mi galeria, CC BY 3.0