Charleston County Public Library
Public library in South Carolina, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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| 32.7886°N 79.9311°W | |
| Type | Public library |
| Service area | Charleston County, South Carolina |
History
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
As of 2021, the Charleston County Public Library operated four branch libraries and seven community libraries.[7]
Governance
The library is governed by a board of trustees appointed by the Charleston County Council.[8]