For years, Anna Lee Robbins has enjoyed going to the Main Library at the University of Georgia to find a quiet place to study. But this year is different.

Thanks to new study rooms, Robbins and her classmate Alyssa Knowles set up their laptops nearly every day after class to go through their notes and work together toward their master’s in international policy.

“I’ve always been a big library person, but it’s a lot better now because we can collaborate,” said Robbins, who said she frequented the facility during her undergraduate studies as well. “It’s such an improvement over what it was, and I’m really appreciative.”

Finishing up her bagel from the Benson Collaboration Café, Knowles said the changes have made the Main Library a new favorite study venue for her. “We can discuss things, and it doesn’t bother anyone else,” she said. “It’s really open, and you can always find a place to focus.”

A statewide initiative is underway to document the contributions the Latino and Hispanic communities have made to the landscape of modern Georgia politics.

The project is being spearheaded by the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies at the University of Georgia Libraries and the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials and GALEO Latino Community Development Fund.

To ensure the most comprehensive documentation and accessibility of the political history of all of Georgia’s citizens, the Russell Library and GALEO will work to identify and document people and organizations representing the interests of the Latino and Hispanic communities. This effort will preserve traditional records and manuscripts and capture oral histories with elected officials, activists and business leaders.

To celebrate Homecoming, come explore the University of Georgia Libraries' collection of Pandoras, the student yearbook. Pandoramonium will be held at the Main Library from 2 to 5 p.m., Friday Oct. 18, just before the Homecoming Parade.

The Libraries' Pandora collection dates back to 1886. Enjoy a photo booth and some refreshments.

UGA Libraries is hosting the 2019 Capturing Science Contest to encourage STEM communication in a diversity of formats. Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible for $3,000 in prizes.

Guidelines: Explain a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) concept to a broader audience using any medium of your choice.

Prizes: The top three undergraduate and graduate submissions each receive prizes of $1,000, $350, and $150.

Deadline: 5:00pm, December 2, 2019

Eligibility: All currently-enrolled UGA undergraduate and graduate students are eligible. Students may submit works used for other class assignments. Multiple entries are acceptable.

Contest Criteria: Submissions will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

George J. Berry, one of the most significant figures in the modernization of the City of Atlanta’s governance and a beloved public servant, passed away on September 7, 2019.

The University of Georgia’s Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library takes a closer look at Georgia’s incarceration history in the new exhibit The New South and New Slavery: Convict Labor in Georgia, now on display at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. The display examines the forced labor of prisoners in the state from the beginnings of the convict lease system in the 19thcentury until the abolition of the chain gang in 1945.

UGA students, faculty, and staff can read many newspapers for free through the University Libraries with a MyID and password. Here are a few of the options:

The Miller Learning Center will be closed August 31 through September 2 for the Labor Day holiday.  The MLC will reopen on Tuesday, September 3, at 7:00 a.m.

The Main and Science Libraries' hours for the Labor Day weekend are listed below:

• Saturday, August 31 -  10am to 7pm
• Sunday, September 1 - 1pm to 9pm
• Monday, September 2 - Closed

The Libraries will resume regular Fall Semester hours on Tuesday, September 3.

As players and fans prepare for the kickoff of the University of Georgia’s football season, the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library plans to revisit recent program history in the new exhibit Beautiful and Brutal: Georgia Bulldogs Football, 2017. The display will open Friday, Aug. 30, at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries at the University of Georgia.