General Library News

On Saturday, May 30 the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library will host its first ever Virtual Family Day event.

A newly launched website for the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies improves searchability for researchers and invites visitors to explore the Library’s collections, exhibits and events.

Two historical accounts that explore how higher education and the banking industry have influenced civil rights have been named the 2020 recipients of the Lillian Smith Book Awards, which are administered by the

As history unfolds during the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Georgia Special Collections Libraries are collecting experiences and responses from Georgians to preserve for generations to come.

Georgia residents can contribute to the project by sharing how the crisis has impacted their family, business, education, and well-being. Digital submissions may include personal reflections, photos, poetry, recordings or any other means that demonstrate how the pandemic affects people’s lives.

“Georgians who contribute to the coronavirus collection will help to build our collective understanding of the kaleidoscope of human experience in this unusual circumstance,” said Toby Graham, university librarian and associate provost. “Even as we live through the COVID-19 crisis, we should begin to document this critical time for the benefit of future students and scholars.”

The UGA Libraries Undergraduate Research Award (LURA) recognizes excellence in inquiry and the process of gathering and using information in research. This award is open to any UGA undergraduate student undertaking a research project. Requirements are a meeting with a librarian to develop their information skills and a short essay describing their how their process enriched their final research paper.

Winners are chosen in the divisions of: Seniors, 1st-3rd Year students, and a Jurors’ Choice that recognizes use of a specialized library resource, research method, or other exceptional characteristic of the applicant’s research. More information on the winners and the award process can be found on the LURA website.

When UGA students need help on a research project or a paper, they know to head to one of our Libraries. But when they are miles from campus, it might seem like that help is out of reach.

Yet while our campus and our locations are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and statewide shelter-in-place order, the services and resources of the libraries are available virtually.

Our librarians are available via our online chat, email and individual remote consultation, and many of our books and resources are available digitally.

We know that it can be difficult to find the tools that you need, so the Libraries and the Office of Online Learning are hosting a series of webinars to help you navigate the library at a distance and ask our librarians questions.

Through membership in a digital preservation consortium of 150 academic libraries, millions of the University of Georgia Libraries’ books remain remotely accessible while UGA’s campus is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The partnership with HathiTrust provides our faculty, staff, and students with emergency access to digital copies of almost 40 percent of print holdings at UGA and other USG institutions. Combined with the UGA’s existing collection of e-books, HathiTrust’s temporary emergency access enables patrons to read from millions of e-volumes across a broad range of disciplines.

In compliance with the governor’s stay-at-home order, UGA Libraries will no longer offer book pickup or scanning services.

This applies to all outstanding book requests, including interlibrary loan requests, slated to be picked up at the Main Library, until further notice.

We encourage you to continue to take use of the libraries’ digital resources at libs.uga.edu.

The construction of interstate highways transformed the landscape of the United States of America during the second half of the 20th century; the process also altered the economy, politics, and culture of the country.

A new exhibition on display at the University of Georgia’s Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries explores the origins and impact of these roads in Georgia with a focus on the political compromises and fiscal policies that made them possible.

The exhibit Paving the Road to Progress: Georgia Interstate Highways is now on display in the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies’ gallery. It traverses the rocky path of the interstate system’s development, which cost far more and took much longer than predicted.

When most people think of climate science, their only visual reference is a disaster movie. But Alison Banks knows that things are more complicated. As she modeled scenarios in her work as a master’s student in geography, Banks was inspired to create her own representation of the possibilities.

With an image in her head that draws from Dante’s journey in “Inferno” through the circles of hell, Banks set to work on an art project that combines the positives and the negatives that could occur based on various models developed through her research.

The finished project earned Banks $1,000 and first place in the graduate student category of the Capturing Science Contest, sponsored by the University of Georgia Libraries and Office of Research.