All SC Residents

This month our 52-year-old building became part of the National Register of Historic Places.

Mark your calendar and plan to attend the Read-In on April 20, 2023. Register now.

Our completed and approved five-year Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) plan is available on our website. We use this and our strategic plan to set priorities and plan projects and programs.

We invite high school juniors and seniors to answer the question, “How should we improve the state of South Carolina?” Use any genre and enter the 10th annual writing contest from the University of South Carolina Honors College by September 26.

Our exhibit showing glimpses of the civil rights movement in South Carolina through the lens of acclaimed photographer Cecil Williams, moves to the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library on September 1, 2022.

Learn what’s happening with Talking Book Services in the latest Connect the Dots newsletter. In addition to celebrating summer reading accomplishments, this issue updates readers on volunteer happenings, summer workshops, and new Braille services.

An inquiry about the original doors to the Supreme Court of South Carolina building on Gervais Street turned into a treasure hunt, yielding images of Columbia that are pretty different than what we know today. The law librarian at the Court asked for anything we could find about the front doors to the building, which was a post office until the state bought it in 1966.

August 9, 2022 marks Smokey Bear's 78th birthday!

The Smokey Bear doll featured in this photo is part of our collection; libraries used it for the Summer Reading Club in the 1950s. The Ad Council and Forest Service commissioned artist Albert Staehle to create the fictional character to help prevent forest fires.

As the June featured state document, we wasted no time choosing the Composting Guide from Beaufort County and DHEC's Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling. The natural color scheme and verbiage inspire even the novice gardener to dig into composting.

Two new magazines featuring southern culture and the Palmetto State are available for patrons of Talking Book Services. Columbia Metropolitan Magazine and The Southern Edge are now part of our collection. We hope to enable all South Carolina residents to experience stories of southern culture and events.