National Poetry Month began in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. It has become a celebration to increase the awareness and appreciation of poetry; schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets in the Unites States throughout the month celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture.

The South Carolina State Library is pleased to present Digital Collections (http://dc.statelibrary.sc.gov), a set of online projects that expand the State Library's mission to provide equal access to information for all South Carolinians.

The SC LENDS online catalog is currently unavailable. We apologize for any problems this is causing. It is anticipated the catalog will available this afternoon. Thank you.

SC LENDS, the South Carolina library resource sharing network powered by the open source integrated library system Evergreen, continues its rapid growth with the addition of four library systems. The Allendale-Hampton-Jasper Regional Library System, Colleton County Memorial Library, Kershaw County Library, and Williamsburg County Library are now live as part of the consortium.

The State Library proudly announces new free classes open to state employees, to library staff and to the public.

Project reports from the recent graduates of the Certified Public Manager program are now being processed and will be available in SCLENDS, the online catalog of the State Library. The CPM report, usually an investigative report, a survey, or implementation of a new procedure, is the final requirement of the program for state employees sponsored by the Budget and Control Board.