The South Carolina State Library promotes the development of effective library programs to encourage the reading and educational achievement of the state's children and youth through local public libraries. Among its major projects for children is the development and coordination of the statewide summer reading program, which involves approximately 60,000 children annually through local libraries. A youth services consultant provides advisory services to all South Carolina public libraries. This service includes help with planning, collection development, programming, promotion and other aspects of work with children, young adults and families. Workshops and other training are also provided. A series of booklists for parents and children provide guidance in selection of good books to read.

Some of the documents below require a PDF viewer:

• Children's Audiovisual Catalog
  Summary: Catalog of videocassettes for use by South Carolina public and institutional libraries in programming for children and young adults.
• Early Childhood Teacher Resource Video Collection
  Summary: Catalog of videocassettes on early childhood development and education. The collection is designed to help child care center staff and other teachers of young children learn how to help children learn and grow. Many of these videotapes can be used to meet state requirements for annual training hours. The videotapes in this catalog can be borrowed through interlibrary loan by your institutional or public library.
• Letters About Literature
  Description: A national reading and writing promotion program sponsored by the South Carolina Center for the Book, the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, and Target.
• Summer Reading Program
  The purpose of the program is to encourage children to enjoy reading during the summer and to discover some of the many wonderful children’s books available in libraries. Children can join the reading program at their local public library and earn rewards for reading during the school vacation.

Additional Resources:

• Web Resources for Children's Services
  The South Carolina State Library compiles a list of Web resources related to children services for children's and young adult librarians.
• Web Resources for Teens' Services
  The South Carolina State Library compiles a list of Web resources related to young adult services for children's and young adult librarians.
• Listservs
  E-mail discussion groups with interests in children's literature, programming ideas, book reviews and more.

Related Documents:

• Children Services Survey Results
  Summary: Results of (Services to Children in South Carolina Public Libraries) survey conducted in 2001.
• Youth Services Guidelines
  Summary: A tool for public libraries to use to evaluate current services for children and teens and to help with planning for the future.

For additional information, please contact Jane Connor, Youth Services Consultant, South Carolina State Library.