Books

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.

A new tool on the UGA libraries’ website helps people retrieve books while social distancing.

The Stackmaps tool has been integrated into the GIL Find system on the Libraries’ website, libs.uga.edu. For books available at the Main and Science libraries for checkout, patrons can click “map it” and find a guide that helps them navigate the library stacks to the location of the materials they need.

“With 4.6 million volumes in our libraries, organized via the Library of Congress call numbers system, we know that it can be difficult to find the book that you want among our stacks. This tool helps patrons to find what they are looking for by themselves, which helps all of us maintain social distancing,” Viki Timian, head of access services for UGA Libraries, said of the tool, which launched just prior to the campus closure last spring.

In a virtual ceremony, the University of Georgia Libraries, Southern Regional Council, and other partners will honor the top new books exploring social justice on Sept. 6, as part of the AJC Decatur Book Festival, which is set to be held virtually over Labor Day weekend.

The last day for the HathiTrust Emergency Temporary Access Service (ETAS) offered by the UGA Libraries is August 9, 2020.  This service has provided electronic access to in-copyright print books while Libraries facilities were closed and unable to make print books available to users. With the reopening of the Libraries on August 10, the University is no longer eligible for ETAS which is available to HathiTrust member institutions during unexpected closures (see: https://www.hathitrust.org/ETAS-Description).

Print books will be accessible again when the Libraries reopen to the public on August 10, 2020.  

The University of Georgia Libraries will open to the public Aug. 10 with measures in place to promote the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reopening comes as UGA prepares to welcome students for fall classes beginning Aug. 20.

The UGA Libraries’ reopening plan begins with contactless porch pickup services for graduate students and faculty beginning June 23. UPDATE: Undergraduate students may reserve books for porch pickup as well.

Most library services and resources will remain available digitally through the summer, as a small group of library faculty and staff return to campus to begin preparations for safe on-campus operations during the upcoming academic year. However, due to requests, certain books may be checked out and retrieved by faculty and graduate students.

The Georgia Review was delighted to learn that Jacob Baynham’s essay "Jerry's Dirt," printed in the Fall 2019 issue, has won a National Magazine Award in the Profile Writing category of the 2020 National Magazine Awards for Print and Digital Media, administered by the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). The “Ellies” awards ceremony was held virtually on May 28.

Jacob Baynham, a freelance journalist and essayist based in Missoula, Montana, has written about criminal justice for The Christian Science Monitor and about parenting for Outside magazine, and has reported internationally for Newsweek, theSan Francisco Chronicle, Slate, and other publications. “Jerry’s Dirt” chronicles the remarkable life of fiction writer Jerry McGahan, Baynham’s late father-in-law.

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

When UGA students need help on a research project or a paper, they know to head to one of our Libraries. But when they are miles from campus, it might seem like that help is out of reach.

Yet while our campus and our locations are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and statewide shelter-in-place order, the services and resources of the libraries are available virtually.

Our librarians are available via our online chat, email and individual remote consultation, and many of our books and resources are available digitally.

We know that it can be difficult to find the tools that you need, so the Libraries and the Office of Online Learning are hosting a series of webinars to help you navigate the library at a distance and ask our librarians questions.

In compliance with the governor’s stay-at-home order, UGA Libraries will no longer offer book pickup or scanning services.

This applies to all outstanding book requests, including interlibrary loan requests, slated to be picked up at the Main Library, until further notice.

We encourage you to continue to take use of the libraries’ digital resources at libs.uga.edu.