Students and faculty in the University of Georgia community can continue to take advantage of library services after the Thanksgiving transition to online classes, whether in Athens or at home in another state.
In addition to online resources and virtual consultations with librarians and archivists, library facilities, including the Miller Learning Center, will remain available to students, faculty, staff, and the community through the remainder of the year and into the spring semester.
“The Libraries are here for UGA students and faculty during the critical finals season, whether they remain on campus or not.” said P. Toby Graham, university librarian and associate provost. “For remote help, our librarians are available to assist with research via our online chat and Zoom sessions, and students and faculty can access digital journals and e-books through our website.”
Students can learn more about how to navigate library resources virtually in a free webinar, co-hosted by the Office of Online Learning. During the session, slated for 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, librarians will discuss services for distance learners, how to navigate ebooks and other resources, including Google Scholar, and answer questions. To register, go to https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUpcuyoqTwsH9ZmaPN8hqna0gTpLexB2nFr.
Because many students are expected to finish the semester remotely, book due dates have been extended to Jan. 15, although Graham encourages people who no longer need the materials to return them.
All library locations, including the Main and Science Libraries, will close at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25 and remain closed through Saturday, Nov. 28 for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Libraries will reopen on Sunday, Nov, 29 and maintain regular hours for the following two weeks, with the exception of Saturday, Dec. 5 when locations will close for the home football game versus Vanderbilt.
“For those who wish to visit the Libraries in person, we ask that you wear a mask and maintain at least six feet of distance from others,” Graham added. “Please take advantage of our sanitation stations to clean your hands and to wipe down tables and equipment, so that we can maintain safe spaces for studying and research.”
This fall, library disinfection protocols will prevent overnight operation during finals. However, the hours from Dec. 11 through Dec. 17 have been adjusted to accommodate students studying and utilizing equipment with test monitoring software for end-of-semester exams.
On Friday, Dec. 11, the Main and Science Libraries will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (7-10:30 at MLC) with hours for 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12 and 10 a.m. to midnight on Sunday, Dec. 13 (same at MLC). From Monday, Dec. 14 through Wednesday, Dec. 16, the locations will be open from 7:30 a.m. to midnight, although they will close at 10 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17 (10:30 p.m. at MLC).
After a 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. schedule on Friday, Dec. 18 (8-5 at MLC), the date of a virtual commencement ceremony for graduates, the Libraries will operate during scaled back intersession hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (5 p.m. at MLC) weekdays until closure for the holiday period of Dec. 25 to Jan. 3.
The Art and Music Libraries currently do not offer study spaces for students, but they will remain open for book pickup, questions and copy and print services. The Art Library’s regular hours will remain in place, while the Music Library will transition to an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekday schedule. After Thanksgiving, the the Carnegie Library on the Health Sciences Campus will offer reduced hours of 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and the Curriculum Materials Library at the College of Education will continue hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays before closing the week prior to the holiday break. Patrons can find posted hours at libs.uga.edu/all-hours for each location.
In addition, the Special Collections Building will maintain 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekday hours after the Thanksgiving break. The building will remain open for research help and visits to the galleries, with the exception of holiday breaks Nov. 26 and 27 and Dec. 25 through Jan. 3. Through the remainder of the fall semester, archivists will continue with remote consultations as well.
In the new year, all Libraries locations will reopen on Jan. 4 and maintain an intersession schedule until spring semester classes begin on Jan. 13, when the regular hours maintained during the fall will resume.
Face coverings are required at all UGA Libraries locations, and furniture has been reconfigured to allow for social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. All visitors should complete the DawgCheck evaluation prior to arriving on campus. For complete hours and services, as well as online resources and virtual chat, visit libs.uga.edu.