Recent Stories

Wonder Woman

Telling the American story -- through comics

September 30, 2019, Carol J.G. Ward and Joshua Burrack

With a massive donation of comics from Gary Lee Watson in the spring of 2019, the University of South Carolina is becoming an intellectual center for the study of 20th century popular culture. “The acquisition has made the Irvin department one of the nation's top public repositories of comic books, positioning the University of South Carolina as a premier institution for comics studies,” says Elizabeth Sudduth, associate dean for special collections in University Libraries.

Topics: Research, History, Collections, University Libraries

scholars studying medieval manuscripts

Unlocking a mystery

March 28, 2019, Annika Dahlgren

For the past eight years, people from around the world have gathered at the University of South Carolina’s Hollings Library to experience the wonder of medieval manuscripts, and this year is no different. The ninth annual Medieval Manuscripts Symposium will take place April 1-2. “Understanding the Medieval Book,” is a two-day seminar dedicated to learning about the care, keeping, and understanding of medieval manuscripts.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Experiential Learning, Collections, University Libraries

Christian Cicimurri

Touching the past

January 15, 2019, Chris Horn

As curator of collections at McKissick Museum, Christian Cicimurri is accustomed to handling old documents and artifacts. But thanks to an ASPIRE II grant and subsequent funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Cicimurri has got her hands on new touch screen technology, which is being incorporated into McKissick’s exhibits.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Collections, College of Arts and Sciences

Bobby Donaldson

Telling the untold

October 24, 2018, Megan Sexton

As he conducted research for the civil rights history project Columbia SC 63, history professor Bobby Donaldson started discovering largely untold stories about the struggle as it played out in Columbia. The material he and his students unearthed and the people he met helped guide the formation of the South Carolina Center for Civil Rights History and Research.

Topics: Faculty, Academics, Research, Initiatives, Collections, Leadership, College of Arts and Sciences, University Libraries

frankenstein

Celebrating 200 years of 'Frankenstein'

October 23, 2018, Page Ivey and Joshua Burrack

“Frankenstein,” Mary Shelley’s tale of a scientist pushing the boundaries of knowledge and ethics to reanimate lifeless flesh, turns 200 this year, and the University of South Carolina is celebrating the anniversary by reaching into its rare books collection and tapping faculty expertise to tell the story of Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein and the creature that has spawned many reincarnations throughout popular literature, film and television.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Collections, College of Arts and Sciences, University Libraries

richard riley

UofSC opens Richard W. Riley Collection as part of S.C. Political Collections

July 11, 2018, Peggy Binette

The South Carolina Political Collections — one of the largest political collections in the nation — will expand Monday, Aug. 6 when the University of South Carolina opens the Richard W. Riley Collection. The collection details the life and public career of Richard Wilson “Dick” Riley, a former South Carolina state representative, senator and governor and U.S. Secretary of Education.

Topics: University Leadership, Research, Collections, Leadership, University Libraries

John Shippen accepting a trophy

Open History

June 14, 2018, Nicole Carrico

University Libraries' newsfilm collection includes the only known footage of America’s first pro golfer, John Shippen. An African-American golfer, Shippen played in the second U.S. Open held in 1896 at the same location as this year’s — New York’s Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. In the silent film footage, Shippen can be seen picking up a second-place trophy in a tournament nearly two decades after playing in the Open at the age of 16.

Topics: Collections, University Libraries

dos passos

Dos Passos collection

February 22, 2018, Nicole Carrico

Richard Layman's collection of John Dos Passos, a “lost generation” author, playwright, artist and political activist, has found a permanent home at the University Libraries Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. University Libraries will celebrate the acquisition Feb. 28 with a public lecture and exhibit.

Topics: speakers, Collections, University Libraries

Kathleen Parker

Washington Post columnist gives personal archive to UofSC

November 20, 2017, Peggy Binette

Students and scholars will have a richer understanding of contemporary politics and culture thanks to Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker. The 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner who lives in Camden, South Carolina, and writes the nation’s most widely syndicated column, has given her personal archive to the University of South Carolina Libraries’ South Carolina Political Collections.

Topics: Students, Research, Collections, University Libraries

USMC Film Repository's new home opens

May 26, 2017, John Brunelli

University President Harris Pastides and Thomas McNally, dean of University Libraries dedicate the John S. Davis Scanning Center and the Lt. Col. James H. Davis Film Vault at the Libraries' Moving Image Research Collections. The MIRC facility is the new home of the U.S. Marine Corps Film Repository that chronicles the corps from the 1940s to the 1970s.

Topics: Faculty, University President, Research, Experiential Learning, History, Collections, Philanthropy, Partnerships, University Libraries

Mindy Castles

A southern connection

January 09, 2017, Chris Horn

Mindy and Jack Castles made Beaufort, S.C., their home in retirement. So when it was time to donate Jack's extensive collection of Civil War documents, USC Beaufort was the natural selection.

Topics: History, Collections

sc encyclopedia

SC Encyclopedia off the shelf and on the web

December 14, 2016, Page Ivey

If you’re of a certain age, you might remember the row of dusty encyclopedias in your parents’ den — books that were the Google of their day but limited in what they could convey. Now you can open the “South Carolina Encyclopedia” and hear Dizzy Gillespie talk about be-bop or watch qualifying for a 1970s Southern 500 stock car race. That’s because the encyclopedia has gone digital.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Initiatives, History, Collections, College of Arts and Sciences

Old, new friendships bring acclaimed illustrator's works to UofSC

November 04, 2016, Dan Cook

Anita Lobel, the acclaimed author and illustrator of children’s books, will be honored with the Thomas Cooper Society Medal in recognition of her contribution to the arts on Nov. 17. The award comes as part of Lobel's burgeoning ties to the university — and her longstanding friendship with two alumnae.

Topics: speakers, Academics, Collections, Recognition, College of Arts and Sciences, University Libraries

vote dress

American Politickers

October 18, 2016, Craig Brandhorst

South Carolina Political Collections, housed at the University of South Carolina’s Ernest F. Hollings Special Collections Library, is home to the papers of 11 governors and more than 25 members of Congress, plus those of notable judges, civil rights activists, state legislators and the League of Women Voters.

Topics: Collections, University Libraries

Anita Singleton-Prather

Sacred music and Gullah culture showcased this weekend

February 22, 2016, Glenn Hare

Noted Gullah storyteller and singer Anita Singleton-Prather, along with the Gullah Kinfolk, will share stories and songs at “Shared Traditions: Sacred Music in the South,” a two-day symposium featuring shape-note singing, African-American spirituals and other music traditions unique to the South. The symposium starts with a meet-and-greet with Singleton-Prather at 3:30 p.m. Friday (Feb. 26) in the McKissick Museum on the historic Horseshoe.

Topics: Faculty, Experiential Learning, Diversity, History, Collections, College of Arts and Sciences

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