There’s more than meets the eye for the resources offered both online and in-person at the USF Library. ORACLE PHOTO/ DYLAN SABOL
From specialized research collections to tutoring centers, the USF Library offers much more to students than just books.
However, some of these resources go unnoticed by many students — lying out of sight in the basement floors and other corners of the Library.
By leveraging available resources, students can not only access academic support but also specialized tutoring and study materials.
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Students can simply use their USF ID to check out books on the first floor of the Library, according to the USF Library website.
The Library hosts over 3.8 million physical and digital books, ranging from research titles to fiction.
But there is more to the Library than just books.
Zibby Wilder, a spokesperson for USF Libraries, said the Library’s purpose has evolved over the years.
“Libraries traditionally have been about books,” Wilder said. “But that has changed so much with technology, and we have access to so many more things.”
One example of a different Library resource is The Tutoring Hub, located on the second floor, which offers both scheduled and drop-in tutoring for a variety of subjects — such as chemistry and statistics.
As a mass communications major, I have to do a significant amount of writing. Therefore, I have found the Library’s tutoring resources, such as the Writing Studio, to be incredibly helpful.
This resource allows students to speak with experienced writers who can discuss and improve their writing projects in person or via Microsoft Teams.
When writing a research paper for an American History class last semester, I was able to book an online meeting and received substantial feedback from a tutor on how to improve it.
Having access to expert tutors across a variety of fields can help students improve their academic performance without incurring additional costs.
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Wilder also said one of the largest Library resources is the Special Collections, available in person at both the Tampa and St. Pete libraries and online.
This resource offers a variety of unique collections of artifacts, including the USF Herbarium, which is the second-largest collection of plant samples in Florida.
“[Special Collections] can be like people’s journals, their photographs, people’s personal effects that they have donated,” said Wilder. “We’ve got a collection of Disney art that’s like original sells from Bambi. We have so many things.”
To access resources from Special Collections, students can schedule an appointment in advance through the USF Libraries website.
Supporting these Library services is not only incredibly useful for students but also benefits the multitude of staff working there.
“The only reason any of us are here is to help students find more resources to support what it is they’re interested in,” said Wilder. “I think people should support Libraries because we can connect people to things that they’re not going to find somewhere else.”
And the Library continues to enhance its offerings, with a $407,600 budget recently allotted for furniture improvements.
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“We are here to advance people’s research, and if there’s something that we don’t have that we need to have, we want to be able to offer that,” Wilder said. “So we definitely want people to come here and let us know how we’re doing.”
With both online and physical resources, all USF students should take advantage of the USF Library.