University of South Carolina Rare Books and Special Collections

10/21/2026

A *rare* look at our building during the McBryde Renovation!

This is the first time since the building opened in 2010 that it has been visible from the Blossom Street side.

10/19/2026

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”

Jane Eyre was published in 1847! The book was originally titled "Jane Eyre: An Autobiography" edited by a "Currer Bell" which was the name Brontë used to publish the novel.

Pictured below is the first American edition from our collection! You can see where a previous reader penciled in "Charlotte Brontë" below the pseudonym.

10/15/2026

Congratulations to Libraries friend and supporter Richard Layman for being awarded a South Carolina Humanities’ Governor’s Award for his significant contributions to humanities research, scholarship, and publishing!

Internationally recognized as one of the foremost authorities on pioneering crime writer Dashiell Hammett, Layman has gifted extensive collections of Hammett, John Dos Passos, Julian Barnes, and others to University Libraries, significantly enhancing the libraries’ special collections and ensuring that future generations have access to the materials necessary for serious humanities research.

Learn more about Richard Layman at the link below!

https://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/university_libraries/exhibits_events_news/news/2026/richard_layman_honored_with_governors_award_in_the_humanities.php

10/08/2026

Can’t get enough of in East of Eden? Us too…

Come see the first Trade Edition in Rare Books and meet Cathy for yourself!

08/28/2026

We finished out the week looking at some Medieval Manuscripts with University of South Carolina School of Music!

Professor Carrico brought her MUSC 353 class to see some of our medieval sheet music. They got to see large volumes as well as handheld and illustrated works. Even our medieval sheet music lamp was on display!

07/21/2026

Fifty years ago, Thomas Cooper Library got bigger – a lot bigger.

In the summer of 1976, Thomas Cooper, which opened in 1959 as the university’s undergraduate library, became USC’s primary library after undergoing a massive expansion that not only tripled the square footage of each of the building’s existing floors but also added four new floors underground.

Read more about the renovation that gave us the Thomas Cooper Library we know today at the link below!

https://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/university_libraries/exhibits_events_news/news/2026/celebrating_50_years_of_thomas_cooper_library_underground.php

Pictured below is the giant hole that was excavated to add four new underground floors to the library.

07/20/2026

We had fun inviting the Earth Educator's Rendezvous 2026 participants to look at some of the items in our collection that focus on geology and Earth sciences!

Visitors in the group got to look at items such as:
🪨 The historie of the world: commonly called, The naturall historie of C. Plinius Secundus, by Pliny the Elder (1634).

🪨 Strata identified by organized fossils: containing prints on colored paper of the most characteristic specimens in each stratum, by William Smith (1816-1819).

🪨 Recherches sur les substances radioactives, by Marie Curie (1903).

Among other rocking items! 🪨🌏

07/16/2026

Heading to the theater this weekend to catch Christopher Nolan's ?

Get ready for your epic journey by checking out these pages from George Chapman's translation of Homer's works into English, featuring Homer's "Odysseys". Published in 1616, Chapman's work is the first to translate Homer into English, making it accessible to English society for the first time.

Have you read "The Odyssey"? What was your experience like?

07/15/2026

At University Libraries, a new AI-enhanced tool is making the historical record more accessible – and giving student workers an opportunity to provide feedback that makes the tool even better.

Seeklight, a new tool from JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services, assists the Digital Collections Department with rare collection digitization and processing by transcribing handwritten documents with a high degree of accuracy. Student workers act as beta users of the tool, allowing them to offer feedback on how Seeklight could be improved.

Learn more about the tool, and how students are using it, at the link below!
https://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/university_libraries/exhibits_events_news/news/2026/seeklight_AI.php

07/06/2026