University of South Carolina Libraries

09/01/2026

The University of South Carolina's motto is Emollit Mores Nec Sinit Esse Feros, which means “learning humanizes character and does not permit it to be cruel.” Since 1801, USC has proudly upheld that ideal and made history in the process. Join us for this self-guided campus walking tour that looks back on 225 years of Carolina's history.

You can find signs for the walking tour outside of Thomas Cooper Library and McKissick Museum as well as next to the iconic Cocky statue off the Horseshoe.

08/28/2026

08/27/2026

Calling all history and calligraphy lovers!

Join University Libraries inaugural Zooniverse crowdsourcing project to transcribe a set of letters from the American Revolution! Reverand Oliver Hart (1723–1795) was an influential Baptist minister, educator, and community leader in Charleston, South Carolina.

Hart was instrumental in garnering support for the Revolution among farmers in the backcountry, and he also played a key role in the development of early Baptist institutions in the South and was part of a broader network of religious leaders whose ideas helped shape social and cultural life in the colonial and Revolutionary periods. The Oliver Hart Papers features manuscripts, journals, and sermon notes from the Revolutionary Era, and they are all ready to be transcribed!

Transcribing is easy! Follow the instructions on the website to help the libraries add typed transcriptions from handwritten letters to their digital collections. These transcriptions will allow researchers to more easily read the documents and conduct full-text searching to further their understanding of the past. And it is completely free!

Head to the link below to get started!

https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/digicoll/usc-transcribes-together

08/27/2026

Our Music Library, located in the University of South Carolina School of Music, has a new mini exhibit honoring the life and legacy of Dolly Parton. Curated by Library Manager Becky Loar, the exhibit brings together books, musical scores, and eBooks from our collection that highlight Parton’s remarkable career and lasting contributions to music and culture.

Visitors can come explore these materials and celebrate her extraordinary legacy. The Music Library is open from 8am to 8pm, Monday through Thursday and Friday from 8am to 5pm.

08/26/2026

We are only two weeks away from the first night of the 2026 Fall Literary Festival!

Our first author is University of South Carolina's own Julia Elliott! Space is limited, so be sure to grab your ticket now: https://connect.sc.edu/Fall_Literary_Festival_with_Julia_Elliott

Julia Elliott is the author of the story collection Hellions, winner of the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction and a Southern Book Prize finalist. Her collection The Wilds, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, was chosen by Kirkus, BuzzFeed, Book Riot, and Electric Literature as one of the Best Books of 2014. Her work has appeared in The Georgia Review, Tin House, Conjunctions, Reactor, Granta, and The New York Times. She has won a Rona Jaffe Writer’s Award and two Pushcart Prizes, and her stories have been anthologized in Best American Short Stories.

08/26/2026

08/25/2026

University Libraries now offers institutional access to Inside Higher Ed, a leading online publication covering news, analysis and commentary on higher education. Previously available free of charge, Inside Higher Ed has now transferred to a paid model. The Libraries’ institutional subscription will allow USC Columbia students, faculty and staff to continue to access IHE at no cost via our A-Z Database page, linked below.

https://guides.library.sc.edu/az/databases

08/21/2026

We have loved welcoming our Gamecocks back to campus this week! From showing off our services at the Grad Student Expo to finding new study spaces and getting some puppy love, it has been a great first week back at USC Libraries!

08/17/2026

Now that our Gamecocks have moved in and are getting ready to start classes, we wanted to take a walk down memory lane!

Check out these images of iconic campus locations from decades past. All images are from the University Archives housed at the South Caroliniana Library.

Where did you call home when you were on campus?

08/14/2026