The South Carolina State Library is dedicated to providing online access to several digital collections.

Online South Carolina State Document Depository

The South Carolina State Library maintains the South Carolina Documents Depository Program, which keeps copies of all publications by South Carolina agencies and state-supported academic institutions.

In 2005 the State Library began harvesting agency publications that had been published in electronic format. In 2011 we began making both "born digital" and historical publications accessible through our online Digital Collections. Documents are saved in PDF format to library servers so that they will be permanently accessible.

Now citizens of South Carolina, state employees, researchers, and students from across the globe will be able to discover and explore unique and important South Carolina publications. These documents are also searchable through SC LENDS, the library catalog for the State Library and a consortium of libraries around the state that has agreed to share resources and circulating materials.

South Carolina Public Library History, 1930-1945

The South Carolina State Library and the South Carolina Digital Library present a collection of historical images and documents from 1930-1945. This collection is maintained at the South Carolina Digital Library.

Portrayed in photographs are public libraries, bookmobiles, librarians, and administrative staff from around the state. Many of the documents relate to the federal Works Project Administration (WPA) Library Project in South Carolina, which provided statewide library services from 1935 to 1943.

Explore the people, places, and history of the South Carolina Public Library History project.

South Carolina School Directories

Since 1911 the South Carolina State Department of Education has published a yearly directory of schools in the state. Information catalogued in each issue is different; some issues include school and district information, Department of Education staff and programs, listings of private schools and colleges, statistics, and state educational associations. These directories provide valuable information about the school buildings and educational leaders in a community. The issues available are from 1912-2010.

Explore the schools, educators, and history of education in South Carolina captured in these unique documents.

Digital Collections Around South Carolina

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Public libraries, universities, historical organizations, and museums from around South Carolina have made available many unique historical collections for the public to view.

The Opening History: U.S. History Resources from Libraries, Museums, and Archives website maintains a list of digital collections in South Carolina by organization. Opening History is a project of the IMLS Digital Collections and Content (DCC) registry. Sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the DCC’s purpose is to bring together digital collections funded by IMLS National Library grants.

The State Library also maintains a list of digital collections in South Carolina at our South Carolina Library Network wiki.