University of Houston Libraries has received a gift of $75,000 from the John P. McGovern Foundation, designated for updates to research and learning spaces.

In its ongoing evaluation of critical infrastructure, spaces, and services for the campus community, UH Libraries identified opportunities for enhancements to high-impact areas in MD Anderson Library. The McGovern Foundation gift will allow UH Libraries to begin better alignment of research and learning spaces, including computing, study, and consultation areas, with the dynamic needs of students, faculty, and researchers. Upgrades, including furnishings, technology, and other resources, will reflect the research and learning lifecycle of the University and facilitate connection between scholarly and public communities.

Departments within UH Libraries were recently restructured to advance the University’s Strategic Plan. A new Libraries unit, Research and Student Engagement (RASE), comprises Information and Access Services, Research Services, and Teaching and Learning, three departments with high public engagement. The priorities of this unit are connected to the University’s initiatives toward student success, nationally competitive research, and social responsibility. Physical space improvements related to the services and resources of this unit will support the University’s key initiatives. “The generosity of the McGovern Foundation advances the Libraries’ innovative teaching and research practices, connecting UH students, faculty, and staff with the resources and expertise needed to be successful in the classroom, in scholarship, and beyond,” said Santi Thompson, associate dean of Research and Student Engagement.

“This generous gift from the McGovern Foundation allows us to enhance the core and collaborative services we offer to the UH community and complements campus-wide services in direct ways,” said Athena Jackson, dean of UH Libraries and Elizabeth D. Rockwell chair. “UH Libraries remains focused on engaging and empowering those who visit our spaces and e-spaces, with the goal of inspiring knowledge-sharing partnerships among research and learning communities in the heart of the University.”

University of Houston Libraries invites visitors to explore our book display celebrating Pride Month, located in MD Anderson Library. Selections comprise a variety of nonfiction and fiction, with historical and contemporary perspectives.

A book display in MD Anderson Library highlights voices of LGBTQ communities.

Featured books include:

Alternate Channels: The Uncensored Story of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television, 1930s to the Present (2000), Steven Capsuto

After Homosexual: The Legacies of Gay Liberation (2014), Carolyn D’Cruz and Mark Pendleton

Sexual Orientation and Transgender Issues in Organizations: Global Perspectives on LGBT Workforce Diversity (2016), Thomas Köllen

Feminism is Queer: The Intimate Connection Between Queer and Feminist Theory (2010), Mimi Marinucci

Not Straight, Not White: Black Gay Men from the March on Washington to the AIDS Crisis (2016), Kevin J. Mumford

With the Spring 2022 semester underway, Coogs are busy leaning into new schedules, new interests, and new goals. UH Libraries locations, including MD Anderson Library, Architecture, Design, and Art Library, Health Sciences Library, and Music Library, are the best places on campus to find books and print media, plus plenty of study space, but did you know that you can check out equipment, browse unique digital collections, or visit a virtual pop-up library?

We’ve got all the study space at UH Libraries…and much more to explore.

This semester, explore something new at UH Libraries. Whether you’re on campus or studying remotely, you can:

Borrow a heart
Or a brain, available at Health Sciences Library, along with other anatomical models. Art and design students can check out basic tools, sculpting sets, and brushes. For those musically inclined, we have headphones, cameras, and mics. Also projectors, laptops, a laser cutter station, Raspberry Pi kits, dry erase markers, and much more equipment to borrow — just bring your Cougar Card for check-out or reservation.

Time travel
OK, not really. But our revamped Digital Collections repository is home to an immersive assortment of digitized historical documents, images, video, and audio representing various locales and time periods. You can experience a vintage University of Houston from midcentury, early 20th century architecture of Rome, or DJ Screw’s recording sessions, to name a few.

Find out what your instructor means by “literature review”
Our librarians have compiled course guides and info lit videos that will help you zero in on scholarly resources and knock out that research paper.

See what’s new in collections from afar
Remember the thrill of book fairs? This is like that, only it’s online and free. Architecture, Design, and Art Library hosts virtual pop-up libraries that feature beautiful, engaging books from our collection that are available for check-out (access last semester’s pop-ups here).

Let us know how we can help you have an outstanding Spring 2022 semester. Contact us

University of Houston Music Library has a sleek new look. Research, relax, refine, and recharge at the transformed study space located in the Moores School of Music.

The University of Houston community is invited to check out the UH Libraries Makerspace. Located on the first floor of the MD Anderson Library within the South Computer Lab, the Makerspace offers tools and support for anyone working on projects, making objects, or building electronic devices. All students on the UH campus, regardless of major, are encouraged to explore the space and the opportunities it presents for discovery and collaboration.

Makerspace Workshops

In-person workshops are happening this semester on topics such as Arduino and sewing. Have an idea for other Makerspace workshop topics? If you represent a student or faculty organization that is interested in collaborating to create a workshop, contact us.

The Makerspace is seeking volunteer instructors or sponsors on the following workshop topics:

• Introduction to AI on PyTorch
• Introduction to Machine Vision on OpenCV
• Raspberry Pi Retro Gaming
• Introduction to Soldering
• Making Origami with a Laser Cutter
• Beginning Embroidery
• Using a Oscilloscope 101

Kit Check-Out

Kit check-out is a popular service available for all UH students and faculty. The Makerspace provides educational kits for learning electronics and microprocessors, including Ardunio, Raspberry Pi, Intel Edison, Beaglebone Black, and most Texas Instruments microprocessors. The kits are perfect for building prototypes and applying electronics concepts. View kit inventory

Equipment

Makerspace equipment

The UH community has access to Makerspace equipment and technical expertise in fabricating components. One-hour reservations are available for:

• Glowforge laser cutter station
• Electronics workstation
• Sewing/serger station

Project Spotlight

Bernard Li teaches an Arduino workshop.

Spiderbot is an Arduino-controlled autonomous robot that wanders around the MD Anderson Library. Throughout the month of October, Spiderbot is filled with the Halloween spirit and features a pumpkin stuffed with candy for students to enjoy. 

Welcome to University of Houston Libraries! Take a quick video tour of our public spaces.

Take a video tour of University of Houston Libraries.

Students are encouraged to register for the University of Houston Libraries Arduino workshop series, taught by Makerspace specialist Bernard Li.

The Arduino is the most affordable and accessible microcontroller available. It has the ability to accomplish almost all simple electronic projects, including building robots, and is the perfect introduction to programming in C++.

The five workshops offer an introduction to Arduino from scratch so you can build your robot or class project, or just improve your home – without any programming experience needed.

The series begins on September 7 and will continue each Tuesday through October 5, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

University of Houston Libraries welcomes the UH community for the start of the fall semester. As a reminder, the University strongly encourages everyone to wear masks in public indoor settings, including MD Anderson Library, Architecture, Design, and Art Library, Health Sciences Library, and Music Library.

MD Anderson Library at University of Houston

Beginning Monday, August 23, UH Libraries will expand hours of operation for all locations. UH Special Collections Reading Room is available by appointment. Additionally, the 24 Hour Lounge located at the front of MD Anderson Library will be accessible to students after our regular hours of operation.

MD Anderson Library Turnstiles

Students are strongly encouraged to bring their Cougar Card when visiting MD Anderson Library. Swiping or tapping a physical Cougar Card at the turnstiles is the fastest option for entry. At certain times, card access will be the only option for entry. In addition, the Cougar Card serves as a library card for book and material check-out, and allows students to release print jobs from library printers. Students without a physical Cougar Card will be asked to present their digital Cougar Card on the UH Go app to the security officer for access.

New Self-Service Lockers

MD Anderson Library now offers users an additional pick-up option for library materials. The remote locker system, located in the 24 Hour Lounge, allows users to pick up requested materials easily with just the swipe of a Cougar Card. When placing a request through the online catalog, users can select the remote locker delivery location and have their items placed in one of the 18 available lockers. Materials can be retrieved at the user’s convenience any time day or night. Users will have up to 7 days from notification to pick up items. Planned enhancements for fall 2021 include 24 additional lockers, 12 of which will be stocked with supplies and technology (such as a marker kit or graphing calculator) for users to check out on demand.

New self-service lockers allow users to pick up requested materials with the swipe of a Cougar Card.

Spaces, Services, and Resources

Popular Libraries services and resources, including remote access to digital items, librarian consultations, interlibrary loan, and printing and scanning, will continue to support UH student success. High demand spaces, such as computer labs, group study rooms, and multimedia studios, will also be available. Floors 5, 7 and 8 of the MD Anderson Library Blue wing are under construction and will re-open later in the fall semester. All other public areas of the library will be open and available.

“The Libraries team warmly welcomes new and returning Coogs to the library,” said Athena Jackson, dean of UH Libraries and Elizabeth D. Rockwell chair. “We’ve enhanced our spaces, services, and resources during this transformative time to engage and empower the UH community, and more improvements are on the horizon. Please stay safe and Cougar Strong!”

How to request a hold on a UH Libraries item

Find UH Libraries spaces and tech

To commemorate the connection between George Floyd and DJ Screw, University of Houston Libraries Special Collections commissioned an artwork by Robert L. Hodge, a notable artist from the Third Ward. His collage titled 8:46 will be displayed at the MD Anderson Library in Special Collections.

“8:46” by artist Robert L. Hodge

Houstonian George Floyd rapped on a handful of the underground mixtapes created by DJ Screw, whose archival collection is part of the Houston Hip Hop Research Collection at UH Special Collections. Following Floyd’s death in 2020, Julie Grob, curator of the collection, invited Hodge to create one of his signature collages in a way that would honor Floyd. 8:46 is a vibrant layering of figures reclaimed from old record album covers, anchored by Floyd’s gaze.

The faces in 8:46 represent the various perspectives and reactions to Floyd’s death. What emerges from the work is a tale of two Americas, Hodge said, and how we are all interconnected. “It’s the story of a flawed man who, no matter what you thought about him, is a human being who didn’t deserve to die.”

Like Floyd, Hodge was raised in the historic Third Ward neighborhood where UH is located. He has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including Slowed and Throwed: Records of the City Through Mutated Lenses, an exhibition of artwork and archival material related to DJ Screw. Hodge also contributed label text to the UH Libraries exhibition Brothers in Rhyme: Fat Pat, Big Hawk, and the Screwed Up Click.

Of the Third Ward as inspiration to his work, Hodge said, “The people make the community, and the people are so diverse. From a jazz musician to a mailman to an addict, each has a story. This keeps me grounded in reality, in my work.”

A few of Hodge’s artistic influences include Romare Bearden, David Hammons, David McGee, Rick Lowe, Jesse Lott, Frida Kahlo, Robert Rauschenberg, The Art Guys, Otabenga Jones, Jabari Anderson, Jamal Cyrus, Kenya Evans, and Robert Pruitt.

Hodge has been doing collage work for many years and it is an art form for which he holds great respect. His technique is organic and involves finding older, lesser-known soul, blues, and country records and using the album cover art to create a new image. “It’s a stress breaker for me,” Hodge said. “I love taking an existing narrative and making something new out of it. That’s a lot like hip hop, sampling older records and making something new while honoring the past. The layers represent life in collage; there are a lot of things you see and a lot of things you don’t see.”

A new University of Houston Libraries book drop is now open on the first floor of the UH School of Art.

A new book drop is located at the UH School of Art.