(The following is a guest post by Karen Keninger, director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.) - There are times when a “best-kept secret” is exactly what you want. But not when it comes to one of the most highly valued services provided through the Library of Congress – namely the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS).

By Jessica Dame, Metadata Librarian, SC State Library - National Preservation Week (April 26-May 2, 2015) is a week of connecting communities to preserve personal and shared collections. Much of the preservation methods addressed center around personal collections, institutional collections, and special areas such as born-digital, textiles, scrapbooks, and art. These are all essential areas to focus on, but to succeed in creating a society that cares for its cultural heritage; it is important to start awareness in childhood.

The Charleston Friends of the Library, the non-profit that supports the programs of the Charleston County Public Library, today announced their participation in Lowcountry Giving Day 2015, a 24-hour online fundraising event sponsored by Coastal Community Foundation. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor the Charleston Friends of the Library has $1,000,000 available in incentive funds for the May 5^th event, which will help the organization support over 6,000 library programs annually.

Do you know individuals or groups that have had a statewide impact on literacy?  Nominate them for the South Carolina Annual Literacy Leader (ALL) awards for 2015.

The ALL awards are presented by the School of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina in the fall of each year to individuals and/or groups that have had a statewide impact on literacy in South Carolina. Contributions may include the following activities:

As tax season comes to an end, Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives, Representative Jay Lucas, and Chairman of the House Legislative Oversight Committee, Representative Weston Newton, in conjunction with the South Carolina State Library, are pleased to announce the South Carolina House Legislative Oversight Committee’s webinar, “More Accountability for Your Tax Dollars in State Agencies,” on Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. This inaugural webinar is free and the Committee invites agency personnel and the public to attend.

Check out the newly redesigned National Library Service (NLS) website!  NLS is a free braille and talking book library service for people with temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, or a physical disability that prevents them from reading or holding the printed page.

April is National Poetry Month. Join us at the South Carolina State Library on Wednesday, April 15 at noon to hear South Carolina poet Ray McManus discuss his latest book, Punch. Poems, published by Hub City Press. Punch. is a call for the claw-hammer, a hymn to the steel toe, and a series of lonely missives from truck cabs and office cubicles.

In celebration of National Library Week (April 12-18 2015), the South Carolina State Library is sponsoring a library shelfie contest.  The contest is open to anyone! Take your library shelfie and submit it in one of the following ways:

The U.S. Census Bureau reported today on where the heaviest population growth in South Carolina was concentrated last year.

The fastest-growing county in South Carolina between July 1, 2013, and July 1, 2014, was Lancaster County, whose population rose 3.3 percent over the period. Lancaster County was followed by Horry County (3.2 percent), Beaufort County (2.5 percent), York County (2.5 percent) and Berkeley County (2.2 percent).

A Proclamation has been passed by Governor Nikki Haley, which proclaims April as “Certified Public Manager Month” to recognize the professionalism of those trained as certified public managers and the impact their leadership has on the state of South Carolina.  Please take the time this month to celebrate the accomplishments CPM graduates have made to state government agencies and the citizens of South Carolina.