University of South Carolina Libraries

10/15/2026

It's opening day at the South Carolina State Fair! The South Caroliniana Library has many items in their collection relating to the State Fair and its history. Check just one of those items out below!

Did you ever wonder how the came to be located where it is today?

A postcard in our collection details a notice of a meeting for the
State Agricultural and Mechanical Society of South Carolina. Needing room for expansion by 1911, the officials who planned the SC State Fair called a meeting for 10 August 1911 to discuss options for relocation from the northern border of Columbia (on Elmwood at Gadsden) to the southern edge of town.

Members of the Society gathered at the Council Chamber of the City of Columbia in order to take "such action as may be necessary to borrow such... money... to make bonds... and to secure the payment... by giving a mortgage... covering the tract of land of said Society, containing one hundred acres... near the southern limits of the City of Columbia."

The image below is from the Library of Congress and details a bird's eye view of the location of the current fairgrounds in the city of Columbia in 1872.

10/13/2026

One of our Librarians caught a glimpse of the SpaceX rocket launch above Thomas Cooper Library this morning! Definitely not an everyday occurrence around T-Coop! 🚀

Did you see the lights from the launch this morning?

10/07/2026

https://tinyurl.com/4vaa3a4f

"My advice for people experiencing library anxiety is to remember that (however long ago) the person you’re seeking help from was in the same situation that you find yourself in now as a student."

University of South Carolina Libraries have vast resources that are available 24/7 to every student. While many students assume they’re supposed to be able to navigate the libraries like a champ on their own, librarians know that the sheer size of the libraries’ collections, services and resources make that assumption unrealistic. Far from rolling their eyes at questions that might sound basic or obvious, they want to help. That’s why they’re here.

Read how three USC Librarians describe the library anxieties they encounter most often, what they can do to help resolve those anxieties, and what students should know that can keep them from feeling so anxious in the first place.

10/06/2026

We are looking forward to our upcoming events in October and November! Be sure to mark your calendars for these free events.

October 22: "Disorder Here Rages": Sickness, Slavery, and Resistance in Revolutionary South Carolina with Dr. Sean Gallagher, History Department in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. Learn more here: https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/university_libraries/exhibits_events_news/calendar/index.php?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D1423231836

November 10: Our Columbia: The Photographs of Richard Samuel Roberts Roundtable. Tickets can be found at the link below:

https://tinyurl.com/OurColumbiaRSR

10/05/2026

And that's a wrap on this year's Fall Literary Festival! We finished up this year's Festival with Patrica Lockwood, who read from her new poetry collection "Agate Head/Stone Soup" which comes out tomorrow! We are grateful to have gotten a bit of an advanced preview of her new work.

Thank you to all of our co-sponsors including All Good Books for selling books at each author's visit!

09/18/2026

We love welcoming our Gamecock families (and their furry friends) to the Libraries! 🐶🫶🐔

09/17/2026

What an amazing night!

Thank you to everyone who attended our second Fall Literary Festival event with Kevin Sack, author of "Mother Emanuel: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church". The spirit of remembrance and resilience filled the room as Sack discussed his process of writing this book and telling the long and important history of Mother Emanuel church.

Before the talk, students in the University of South Carolina College of Information and Communications got the chance to speak with Sack about his career as a journalist for The New York Times as well as other major news outlets. After the official talk ended, Sack answered questions from the audience and signed books, copies of which were provided by All Good Books.

09/15/2026

Kevin Sack will be with us TOMORROW for the second event of our 2026 Fall Literary Festival!

Sack will read from and discuss his book "Mother Emanuel: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church", which was named one of the New York Times’ Ten Best Books of 2025.

There's still time to get your free tickets at the link below!

https://connect.sc.edu/LIBR_-_2026_Fall_LIterary_Festival_with_Kevin_Sack

09/11/2026

We kicked off our 2026 Fall Literary Festival Wednesday night with South Carolina's own Julia Elliott! Elliott recounted childhood tales that inspired some of her work, then read from her prize-winning collection "Hellions".

A big thank you to All Good Books for selling copies of her works for people to get signed!

Join us next Wednesday as we continue the festival with Kevin Sack, author of "Mother Emanuel: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church".