Special Collections 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.

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.

During the University of Georgia’s spring break March 7-15, students, faculty and staff may continue to visit UGA Libraries, although various locations will operate on a different schedule.

The Main Library on North Campus and the Science Library on South Campus will close on Sunday, March 8 and reopen 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, March 9 through Friday, March 13. The locations will return to normal business hours on Saturday, March 14.

The Miller Learning Center will be closed over the weekend, March 7-8, and operate reduced hours from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, March 9 through Friday, March 13. The facility will close on Saturday, March 14, reopening at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 15 to resume normal 24-hour-a-day operations.

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.

Twelve University of Georgia faculty members have been chosen as 2019-2020 Special Collections Fellows. The fifth cohort of the program represents six schools and colleges with interests ranging from art and education to social work and population health.

Sponsored by the University of Georgia Libraries and the Center for Teaching and Learning, the program guides faculty members as they develop courses that apply archives-centered pedagogy and allow their students to engage with the rich array of materials held in UGA’s three special
collections libraries.

The Georgia Writers Hall of Fame will begin celebrations of its 20th anniversary with a reading of inductee Philip Lee Williams’ 20th novel.

Williams’ book launch event is scheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, the acclaimed writer’s 70th birthday, at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries at the University of Georgia.