Libraries

UGA Libraries will be open and ready to serve the campus community throughout the summer. Librarians, archivists and staff will be available for help, research consultations and other activities — both in person and online — for students, faculty, and others, whether they are taking summer classes, preparing for the fall semester, working on independent projects, or have other needs.

Students looking for access to Respondus software for online finals can find it on technology at UGA Libraries.

In 1848, William and Ellen Craft fled Georgia in disguise — and for 19 years, left the country — to escape slavery and become activists for freedom, literacy and education for Black Americans before and after the Civil War.

Nearly 175 years later, their names will be permanently etched at the heart of the birthplace of public higher education in the United States, with two study rooms in the Main Library of the University of Georgia dedicated in the couple’s honor. Along with the naming of two adjoining study rooms for Mary Blount Bowen Green, a little-known white schoolteacher from the same community, the markers will celebrate Georgians who worked to build a better future for the students of today.

A University of Georgia librarian has received a presidential citation from the Special Libraries Association for her service to the organization during a challenging 2020.

Sheila Devaney, a research and instruction librarian at the Main Library, was recognized as a part of the 2020 Annual Conference Advisory Council for the group’s shift to providing virtual educational content when the pandemic forced conference plans to change. The committee worked to provide sessions on timely topics, including social justice and library responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students will soon be able to hit the books into the early morning hours at three key University of Georgia study spots. Extended hours at the Main Library, Science Library and the Miller Learning Center will begin April 5 and continue through spring semester finals.

The Miller Learning Center, the busiest academic building on campus, will close two hours later Sundays through Thursdays, closing at 2 a.m. from April 5 through May 10. The Main and Science Libraries will transition to a closing time of 1 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays April 5 through April 25, and the hours will extend to a 2 a.m. closing time April 26 through May 10.

As part of the UGA Libraries’ commitment to affordable access to learning materials, the Libraries recently ceased the collection of late fees from students who return overdue books.

“Overdue book fines are educational materials costs borne directly by our students. Those with the least ability to pay feel the effect of fines most keenly, as do graduate students who are particularly heavy users of the Libraries’ print collections,” said Toby Graham, associate provost and university librarian. “This step will save students about $25,000 per year.”

UGA students can earn more than an A by meeting with a librarian. They can also win some cash, thanks to the Libraries’ Undergraduate Research Awards.

With a top prize of $800, the awards provide an extra incentive for students to sign up for a free online research consultation with a librarian. Students are eligible to enter the contest for their work on any research project, including a policy paper, a scientific study, a music composition, a thesis, whether it is for a class or not.

All of the tools that students need to write dynamic papers and create innovative projects will be on display in a series of workshops from the University of Georgia Libraries.

In the Spring into Research workshop series, librarians and staff will lead virtual discussions on navigating library resources, from the latest online journals to historical material held in digital archives, as well as using citation management software and technologies available for data visualization, map-making, virtual reality, and more.

At UGA Libraries, we ask that students and patrons remain curious and courteous, as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

All staff and visitors are required to wear masks, in accordance with the University System of Georgia policy in place since the buildings reopened in summer 2020. This includes all open study areas and group studying at the Main Library, Science Library, Miller Learning Center, Carnegie Library, Special Collections Libraries, and branch locations for art, music, and curriculum materials.

Before Fatoumata Toure entered kindergarten, she learned a hard lesson about the importance of fresh drinking water. Now as a college freshman, she has earned the top prize in the Capturing Science Contest, sponsored by the University of Georgia Libraries and the Office of Research, for making an informative and innovative video to explain the science behind the concerns.

Toure, a North Cobb High School graduate who intends to major in environmental engineering, received the top prize of $1,000, as well as a special bonus prize of $200 for this year’s contest for integrating research related to social justice in her piece.