General Library Information
- Use ARES to manage your course reserves. Create a course, add items, submit requests to purchase ebooks, add a class proxy, etc.
- Contact Gabriela Garcia, Course Reserves Supervisor at gabriela@usc.edu for more information and for assistance with navigating ARES.
Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery
- Request USC-owned books for home delivery through our IDD services
- Request scanned chapters or articles if there is no electronic version available
- Contact IDD staff at idd@usc.edu or 213-740-4020.
Access Privileges
- Remote access to USC Libraries' electronic databases, electronic journals, electronic books, and other research websites is for the exclusive use of current USC students, faculty (including part-time), staff, post-docs, and official visiting scholars registered with a home department. Electronic resources are governed by license agreements, and the terms of use are set by the publishers and vendors from which they are subscribed.
- Library privileges are not transferable to other individuals, and the library reserves the right to request secondary picture identification before allowing access to facilities or providing services.
- We encourage USC faculty, staff and currently enrolled students to recommend items for the library's collections. USC Libraries has made a strategic decision to invest in electronic resources including books, journals, databases, and multi-media formats. Moving to an “e-Preferred” plan, USC Libraries now purchases the electronic version of resources when available. When an electronic copy is not currently available, the Libraries will acquire the print version.
USC Library Instruction Services
The social work librarian is available for information literacy instruction for courses. You can also collaborate or partner on designing course content and materials. Please contact Alyssa Brissett at abrisset@usc.edu if you have any questions or would like to schedule an information literacy session.
Instructional Services offered at USC Libraries:
- Course-integrated information literacy sessions
- Assignment design and consultations
- Tutorials and research guides
- Workshops
USC Libraries uses the Association of College & Research Libraries‘ Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education as well as discipline-specific standards as guiding documents for instructional services. Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.
Antiracist Teaching Resources
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USC Libraries Anti-racist Pedagogy GuideThis guide, a joint effort of the USC Libraries and the Anti-Racist Pedagogy Organizing Committee, provides resources for developing anti-racist pedagogical strategies and syllabi.
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USC Libraries Anti-racist Teaching and Learning discussionsThe Antiracist Pedagogy Collective (ARPC) was formed by graduate students from the USC English department in 2016 after the presidential election and its attendant controversies about race and identity, which pervaded USC classroom discussions.
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USC Libraries Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Research GuideThis guide has been designed to provide information on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I). The Teaching Resources tab contains links to practical resources that provide information and strategies to assist with implementing DE&I directly into instruction and the classroom environment.
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USC's Center for Teaching Excellence - Challenging Discussions"Challenging Discussions is a resource for USC faculty who would like help in managing potentially difficult dialogues in their classes. This series focuses on handling discussions that involve emotionally charged, controversial, or sometimes deeply personal topics. Modules cover all aspects of incorporating discussions in courses, including course design and discussion facilitation."
Fair Use Checklist
Section 107 of the Copyright Act provides a framework for identifying whether something is fair use. Keep in mind that you need to consider all four factors of the framework. The information below is from the United States Copyright Office.
| Purpose and character of use | How are you using the work? Nonprofit educational and noncommercial uses are most likely to be considered fair. This does not mean, however, that all nonprofit education and noncommercial uses are fair and all commercial uses are not fair. Additionally, “transformative” uses are more likely to be considered fair. Transformative uses are those that add something new, with a further purpose or different character, and do not substitute for the original use of the work. |
| Nature of the copyrighted work | Using a more creative or imaginative work (such as a novel, movie, or song) is less likely to support a claim of a fair use than using a factual work (such as a technical article or news item). In addition, use of an unpublished work is less likely to be considered fair. |
| Amount or substantiality of the portion used | Look at both the quantity and quality of the copyrighted material that is used. If the use includes a large portion of the copyrighted work, fair use is less likely to be found; if the use employs only a small amount of copyrighted material, fair use is more likely. In some cases, use of an entire work can be considered fair under certain circumstances. And in other contexts, using even a small amount of a copyrighted work that is considered an important part—or the “heart”—of the work is not covered under fair use. |
| Effects of the use upon the potential market for or value of the work | To what extent, does the unlicensed use harm the existing or future market for the copyright owner’s original work. Example: displacing sales of the original |
Copyright-Free Images
Use the resources below to find copyright-free images that you can use for presentations, workshops, and course materials.
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PixabayRepository of free, high quality, copyright compliant images. Begin typing "medical" into the search box. Click dropdown menu to filter by image type. Sign up for free account to download images.
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Gender Spectrum CollectionThe Gender Spectrum Collection is a stock photo library featuring images of trans and non-binary models that go beyond the clichés. This collection aims to help media better represent members of these communities as people not necessarily defined by their gender identities—people with careers, relationships, talents, passions, and home lives.
Research and Teaching Resources
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APA 7th Instructional ResourcesThe instructional aids on this page are intended for anyone looking to improve their knowledge of APA Style. They include tutorials and webinars developed by Style experts to provide an overview of seventh edition APA Style.
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Citation ManagementCitation managers, sometimes called reference managers, help you keep track of your research, organize citations, and create bibliographies. Each tool is different and there isn't one manager that does everything perfectly.
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SAGE resourcesSAGE's digital library products support a comprehensive learning experience by providing varied and interdisciplinary content for enhancing your course programs.
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Streaming VideoFind streaming videos including documentaries, popular films, and therapy demonstrations to use in your courses
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USC Libraries TutorialsThe USC Libraries tutorials cover topics like avoiding plagiarism, evaluating sources, finding articles and books in the library catalog.
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Feature Films for EducationThis collection offers hundreds of full-length feature films for educational instructional purposes. It focuses on both current and hard-to-find titles, including dramas, literary adaptations, blockbusters, classics, science fiction, environmental titles, foreign films, social issues, animation studies, award winners, and more.
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SAGE Knowledge Video - Social WorkGlobal content covers issues and themes that are significant to the current field of social work including homelessness, LGTBQ rights, aging populations, advocacy, social justice, suicide, PTSD & trauma, self-care, and veterans.
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SAGE Research Methods VideoSAGE Research Methods Video includes hours of tutorials, interviews, video case studies, and mini-documentaries covering the entire research process.
Open Education Resources
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USC's OER library guideHow to find, evaluate, use, and adapt OER materials for use in the classroom to help reduce textbook costs.
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Open Social Work EducationOpen Social Work Education (OSWE) is a collaborative project dedicated to open educational resources (OER) in social work.
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Open Textbook LibraryOpen textbooks are textbooks that have been funded, published, and licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. These books have been reviewed by faculty from a variety of colleges and universities to assess their quality. These books can be downloaded for no cost, or printed at low cost. The Open Textbook Library is supported by the Center for Open Education and the Open Textbook Network.
Research Impact Metrics
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AltmetricsAltmetrics are metrics and qualitative data that are complementary to traditional, citation-based metrics.
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Top Social Work Research PublicationsThis is a list of the top journals in social work according to Google Scholar Metrics
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Top Social Work Journals - Incites Journal Citation ReportsA list of the top social work journals ranked according to journal impact factor
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Scimago Journal Rankings on Social WorkThe SCImago Journal & Country Rank is a publicly available portal that includes the journals and country scientific indicators developed from the information contained in the Scopus® database (Elsevier B.V.)
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Eigen Factor MetricsA new ranking system that aims to use recent advances in network analysis to develop novel methods for evaluating the influence of scholarly periodicals, for mapping the structure of academic research, and for helping researchers navigate the scholarly literature.
Additional Resources from USC and other Institutions
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NYU's Information for PracticeTo help social service professionals throughout the world conveniently maintain an awareness of news regarding the profession and emerging scholarship.
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USC Disability Services & ProgramsDSP partners with faculty, instructors, TAs, and other academic contacts across the University to help ensure students with disabilities receive non-discriminatory, equal access to the learning environment and the academic and programmatic experiences.
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USC Special Collections & ArchivesUSC's primary source collections including archives, manuscripts, historic photographs, and rare books. The department contains more than 200,000 volumes, more than 1000 archival collections, and more than 2 million photographs.
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Using Images and Non-Textual Materials in Presentations, Papers, Theses, and DissertationsThis guide offers basic information on using images and media in research. Reasonable use of images and media in teaching, course papers, and graduate theses/dissertations is generally covered by fair use.