The Charleston County Public Library is a public library in Charleston, South Carolina. It began operations in 1931 as the Charleston Free Library.
| Charleston County Public Library | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| 32°47′19″N 79°55′52″W / 32.7886°N 79.9311°W | |
| Type | Public library |
| Service area | Charleston County, South Carolina |
History edit
The Charleston County Public Library began operations in 1931 as the Charleston Free Library with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Rosenwald Fund.[1][2]
Under the terms of its grant from the Rosenwald Fund, the main branch of the library—first located at 121 Rutledge Avenue and later at 94 Rutledge Avenue—was racially integrated.[2] In practice, however, while access to the building itself was open to all races, specific opening hours were observed for each specific race.[2] Segregation began to gradually loosen in the early 1960s and was formally abolished in 1965.[2][3]
The main branch of the library was moved from the Routledge Avenue location to a new facility on Marion Square, adjacent to the state arsenal, in 1960.[4] In 1998 it moved to its fourth, and — as of 2024 — current location at 68 Calhoun Street.[4]
In 2021, the Charleston County Public Library was the only public library in South Carolina given a four star rating by the Library Journal.[5] In 2022, it moved to a five star rating, the Library Journal's highest rating.[6]
Branches and collection edit
As of 2021, the Charleston County Public Library operated four branch libraries and seven community libraries.[7]
Governance edit
The library is governed by a board of trustees appointed by the Charleston County Council.[8]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Charleston County Public Library". sc.edu. University of South Carolina. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d Butler, Nic (February 10, 2012). "Segregation and Integration at CCPL". The Charleston Archive. Charleston County Public Library. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Elmore, Christina (February 7, 2015). "Locals, records detail the path to integration of Charleston's libraries". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ a b "Main Library". ccpl.org. Charleston County Public Library. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Brams, Sophie (December 16, 2021). "Charleston County Public Library ranks among top libraries in the nation". WCBD-TV. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ "America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2022". Library Journal. December 16, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Turner, Emily (May 2021). "By The Book: Read Through The Different Chapters Of Our City Library's Historic Legacy". Charleston Magazine. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ "Charleston Public Library". charlestoncounty.org. Charleston County. Retrieved January 19, 2024.