Reading Time: 3 minutesOpen Access Week is always held in October and the 2026 theme is “The Cost of Knowledge.” Open Access is described as the “free, immediate, online availability of research articles coupled with the rights to use these articles fully in the digital environment.” While the readers of Open Access research benefit from the cost being free, for the creators, there are costs associated with research.
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Copyright Act Turns 50
Reading Time: 2 minutesFifty years ago, the Copyright Act of 1976 was signed into law October 19, 1976 as Title 17 US Code to revise the existing copyright law and modernize copyright for a changing world. Legislation since 1976 has updated the act, but the majority of Title 17 US Code has remained in place since its inception. Law schools, universities, and various organizations have been commemorating this milestone during 2026.
Introducing Altmetric Explorer: Demonstrate Your Scholarly Impact Through Alternative Metrics.
Reading Time: 2 minutesAs of July 2026, all users with USF authentication can access Altmetric Explorer and explore its capabilities. Altmetric Explorer is a bibliometric tracking platform that tracks alternative impact metrics in addition to the metrics more traditionally considered when evaluating the impact of scholarly work.
Rediscovering Shangri-La: Exploring a Unique Chapter of USF History
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe University of South Florida Libraries is pleased to announce the launch of the Shangri-La Collection, a new digital selection of USF’s University Archives documenting one of the university’s most unique and beloved historic properties.
Five Decades of Birding: Florida Ornithological Society Records Available Online
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Digital Initiatives team is proud to announce the completion of a major digitization project: over 4,400 items from the Florida Ornithological Society (FOS) Records are now available online. These materials, selected for their research value and copyright status, represent a significant portion of the 38-box archival collection donated to USF Libraries by the Florida Ornithological Society.
Leisure Reading Collection
Reading Time: 2 minutesResearch has shown that reading for pleasure, even as little as 6 minutes a day, can reduce your stress levels by 68%, more than listening to music or taking a walk (Chiles, 2009). Your dedicated librarians over at USF Libraries appreciate the various stressors that are involved during the semester. We understand that life as a student can be hectic and does not always allow time to run to the public library, so we wanted to bring a little slice of that here to USF. The Leisure Reading Collection (LRC) was created to encourage students, faculty, and staff to pick up a good book and relax whether that be for a few minutes between classes or to wind down on a Friday evening after an incredibly busy week.
Layers of Rights in Archival Materials
Reading Time: 4 minutesReviewing materials from special and archival collections with the intention to digitize them for wider public access requires more than just determining if something is in the public domain. There are several questions that are answered in the collection review process and several layers of rights that must be considered.
From Magazine to Algorithms: Thoughts After Watching The Devil Wears Prada 2
Reading Time: 3 minutesPost by Mrudula Ravada, Research Data Manager in USF Libraries’ Integrated Research and Impact Services department Twenty years ago, when The Devil Wears Prada first came out, I was obsessed with the fashion, the glamour, the sharp dialogue, and the fast-paced world …Continue Reading
Florida’s Great Hurricanes Exhibit Migration and Updates
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe USF Libraries’ Florida’s Great Hurricanes Exhibit offers insights into six of these influential storms. The original online exhibit has been migrated to a new platform and updated to include enhanced navigation on a site that will allow for more interactive features to be added in the years to come.
USCO Virtual Card Catalog and Search Copyright Renewals
Reading Time: 2 minutesIf you’re researching materials published and registered between 1931 and 1963, figuring out their copyright status often means checking whether the copyright was renewed after the initial term. Enter the U.S. Copyright Office Virtual Card Catalog (USCO), a fascinating proof-of-concept tool that brings the U.S. Copyright Office’s card catalog online. Spanning records from 1870 to 1977.