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04/11/2025
profile-icon John Barnett
No Subjects
Image of lighthouse with birds flying around the top and the words "National  Landmarks, Monuments, and Parks" above the lighthouse

Now that spring is here, a young person's fancy naturally turns to … exploring and enjoying the great outdoors!

On view now in the library cafe area are a series of posters celebrating some of the amazing national landmarks, monuments, and parks in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. These posters are designed in the style of paintings made famous by the Federal Art Project, an initiative of the U.S. Works Progress Administration (WPA), a federal agency that offered employment opportunities to visual artists during the Great Depression and World War II. 

Some of the images you will see in this exhibit include,

  • The Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument (Alabama)
  • Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
  • Cumberland Island National Seashore (Georgia)
  • Everglades National Park (Florida)
  • Fort McHenry National Monument (Maryland)
  • Gettysburg National Military Park (Pennsylvania)
  • Great Smoky Mountains (North Carolina-Tennessee)
  • Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
  • The Lincoln Memorial (Washington, D.C.)
  • Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
  • New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
  • Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
  • The Statue of Liberty National Monument (New York-New Jersey)

How many have you visited? Which ones would you like to this year? Do you have a special memory of one of the landmarks, monuments, or parks?

We live in a physically beautiful country, noted for its majestic landscapes, impressive architecture, and poignant history. We hope you have time this spring and summer to experience some of the nation's landmarks, monuments, and parks.

04/10/2025
profile-icon Virginia Cononie
No Subjects

Students are invited to donate their textbooks to the library from now until the end of the semester. Drop off your materials at either the information or research desk at the library. Your material may be added to our textbook reserve, circulating collection or recycled.   For more information, reach out to Associate Librarian Virginia Cononie at vcononie@uscupstate.edu.

04/09/2025
profile-icon John Barnett
No Subjects
Graphic of owl on a tree branch with a crescent moon in the background and the words "Overnight Hours Begin April 20"over the pages

On Easter Sunday, April 20, the USC Upstate Library will begin its overnight and extended hours schedule for the end of spring term and final exams. The library will be open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, to accommodate your study, research, and computing needs. The library will also have extended hours on select Friday evenings and will be open its regular hours on Saturdays as well.

Here’s the end-of-semester schedule:

  • Sunday, April 20: Library opens at 2 pm and remains open continuously until Friday, April 25, at 12 midnight (24-hour schedule)
  • Saturday, April 26: Library is open from 10 am to 5 pm
  • Sunday, April 27: Library opens at 2 pm and remains open continuously until Friday, May 2, at 12 midnight (24-hour schedule)
  • Saturday, May 3: Library is open from 10 am to 5 pm
  • Sunday, May 4: Library opens at 2 pm and remains open continuously until Tuesday, May 6, at 12 midnight (24-hour schedule)

This schedule is based on available staffing and therefore is subject to change.

When the library is closed, students can get research help through the Ask a Librarian chat service. This service is staffed by real people (not bots!) and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For more information about library hours, including schedule changes, visit the Library Calendar; the library’s website; or check out the library’s social media presence on Facebook and Instagram.

04/03/2025
profile-icon John Barnett
No Subjects
Construction zone sign in yellow and black diagonal stripes on two gray legs

Due to ongoing construction of the Annex adjacent to the USC Upstate Library building, part of the sidewalk on the left front corner of the building (facing the Quad) will be closed from Friday, April 4, until either late Tuesday, April 8, or early Wednesday, April 9.

During this time, the wheelchair ramp near the front entrance will be closed. 

Wheelchair access will remain available from the parking lot side entrance to the Library building. Nonetheless, the ramp closure may temporarily affect access to Library services, Student Success, Career Management, Scholars Academy, Tutoring, and classes held in the library building.

We regret the inconvenience to those needing wheelchair access to the Library building from the Quad. Because the bulk of the construction work will take place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we hope the impact on students, staff, faculty, and other library visitors will be minimal.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

***

Image credit: “A colored emoji from the Twemoji project." Source: Twemoji GitHub.  CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

03/28/2025
profile-icon John Barnett
No Subjects
drawing of Goostavo the library's Canada goose mascot wearing a backpack and standing in front of a university building

The University of South Carolina Upstate's #DayOfGiving is officially on! This year's Day of Giving starts at 12 noon on Tuesday, April 1 (no foolin') and continues until 12 noon on Wednesday, April 2.

We would appreciate your support of the University Libraries Excellence Fund, which we use to develop our collections, provide services, and offer programs and activities at the USC Upstate Library.

To encourage your contributions, we have two special offers for you.

  • The Dean of the Library, John Barnett, challenges you to give to the University Libraries Excellence Fund. He will match your contributions up to a total of $250. Just make your contribution here. When the total contributions reach $250 or more, the Dean will contribute a matching amount.
     
  • While a donation of $75 will get you a snazzy pair of USC Upstate socks, for a contribution of $50 or more to the library's Excellence Fund, we will send you a stylin' Goostavo tote bag! It's the perfect shade of green for a USC Upstate spring. And did you know the Goostavo logo was designed for the library by students in the Art Studio Graphic Design program at USC Upstate? 'Tis true!

We look forward to seeing you around campus with your snazz-tastic USC Upstate socks and style-licious Goostavo tote bag!

03/28/2025
profile-icon John Barnett
No Subjects
image of a green tote bag: side 1 features a drawing of library mascot Goostavo, a Canada goose; side 2 of the bag features the USC Upstate logo.

We invite you to participate in USC Upstate’s Day of Giving, which starts at noon on April 1st and continues until noon on April 2nd

On this Day of Giving, one way that we hope you will support Upstate students is by contributing to the University Library’s Excellence Fund.

We use this fund to build collections and sponsor programs and activities. This includes the library’s Wellness Collection, which supports student mental health and well-being. It also includes our growing textbook collection, which helps reduce the cost of education by providing in-demand course materials for check-out. And soon we will use this fund for our forthcoming leisure reading collection, which will offer students a break from their studies to explore their love of reading and learning.

The fund also supports library outreach activities. Over the past year, in conjunction with the local non-profit Walt’s Waltz, we’ve held painting workshops to foster student well-being. We’ve hosted an exhibit and event on climate sustainability and stream conversation, in collaboration with the university’s Watershed Ecology Center. We’ve built student awareness of volunteer and career opportunities through the Non-Profit Career Fair. And in our “library of things” we’ve provided puzzles, games, fidget toys, podcasting equipment, and more for student enjoyment and relaxation. 

We are excited about these collections and activities – we feel it makes the library a vibrant “third place” where students will want to study and learn and feel that they belong. 

As extra incentive to donate to the Excellence Fund, for those who contribute $50 or more, you’ll receive one of our new branded tote bags, featuring Goostavo, the library’s mascot. Goostavo has quite the fan following! So make a gift today and get a tote bag while supplies last.

On behalf of the USC Upstate Library and the students we serve – Thank you for your gift! 

03/25/2025
profile-icon John Barnett
No Subjects
Inventor Marilyn Hamilton using a lightweight wheelchair to play tennis

The USC Upstate Library is pleased to present “Picturing Women Inventors,” a poster exhibit that explores the inventions of 19 highly accomplished American women. This poster exhibit will be on view through March and April in the library's cafe and study room area on the 1st floor. 

“Picturing Women Inventors” is distributed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in collaboration with the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The exhibit is sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies IF/THEN Initiative and Ericsson.

About the exhibit

Throughout American history, women with diverse backgrounds and interests created inventions that changed lives every day. But women haven’t always had equal opportunities to be inventors or received as much recognition.

“Picturing Women Inventors” showcases the breakthroughs, motivations, and challenges women encountered while pursuing their goals as inventors. The poster exhibit highlights stories of inventors like Marilyn Hamilton (see picture), who after a hang-gliding accident in 1978 left her paralyzed, invented a lightweight wheelchair that was easy to maneuver. Diversity of background and age are showcased including inventor Alexis Lewis, who at 12-years-old in 2011 was inspired to adapt a traditional Native American sled, called a travois, by adding wheels to create a simpler way to transport families and their belongings in Somalia.

Inventors featured include astronauts, computer pioneers, businesswomen, athletes, engineers, and students, among others.

03/24/2025
profile-icon John Barnett
No Subjects
The words Sounds of Religion appear over a decorative image of colored circles

Now on view on the USC Upstate Library terrace is Sounds of Religion, a Smithsonian poster exhibit that explores the diversity of American religious life through image and sound. 

Choirs singing. Monks chanting. The reading of religious texts. These are religious sounds. But so are the creaking of church pews and the clanking of pots during the preparation of a communal meal. Sounds of Religion explores how rituals and gatherings of religious communities create a complex and varied soundtrack of religion in the United States.

Many of the posters in the exhibit features QR codes, which, through the use of a smart phone, allow exhibit viewers to listen to contemporary recordings representative of America's varied and distinct religious life. Americans practice many different systems of belief--Christianity; Judaism; Islam; Hinduism; Buddhism; Sikhism; Wicca; and Native American, African, African American, and New Age traditions. Every tradition creates its own unique blend of music, prayer, voices, and silence, which together help define the beliefs and practices shared by the members of churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and other places of spiritual devotion. 

Sounds of Religion is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES) in cooperation with the American Religious Sounds Project of The Ohio State University and Michigan State University. The exhibit is made possible through the generous support of The Henry Luce Foundation.

The exhibit will remain on view at USC Upstate through Ramadan, Easter, and Passover 2025.

03/17/2025
No Subjects
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Questions for Qwinlyn Osborne, English major at USC Upstate and Intern at USC Upstate Library.

  1. What are you reading right now? I am reading The Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum and How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang.
  2. What are some topics you have discussed during your internship? We have learned how some people have library anxiety and how it prevents them from asking for help. We have discussed AI, learned how to write a resumé, and that there are a variety of library careers.
  3. What job are you going to pursue after graduation? Hopefully something in the library system or a job in editing.

A Few Facts About Julius Caesar:

  • March 15th is the Ides of March. It is the assassination date of Julius Caesar.
  • His famous quote is “Veni, Vidi, Vici” (I came, I saw, I conquered)
  • The month of July is named in his honor.
  • Caesar played a pivotal role in the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.

Want to enjoy the spring weather and longer hours? Here are some ideas:

  •  Have a picnic at your local park.
  • Take a hike at one of South Carolina’s State Parks.
  •  Plant a packet of seeds such as herbs, flowers, or your favorite vegetable.
  • Visit your local farmer’s market.
03/13/2025
profile-icon Michael Sanders
No Subjects
decorative-image

With the Spring season approaching, the USC Upstate Display Committee wanted to do a display that focused on either science, nature, or animals. After some discussion and planning the committee decided for March that our display would focus on animals in nature and the solar system. Many people enjoy astronomy, astrology, or animals, so we thought this would be a perfect fit. Our students and patrons might not be aware that we have books on these different subjects, so we hope that by highlighting a selection from our collection they will be well informed. The committee worked diligently to find both decorative items and items for this display. We hope everyone who comes to the library will see our display and become more educated about animals and planets. Every book on display is available for checkout. In April we will transition our display to focus on the solar system and ocean life. Please be on the lookout for that display coming soon. 

Field is required.