Henry G. Fulmer has been named director of the South Caroliniana Library, located on the University of South Carolina's historic Horseshoe. A three-time USC graduate and thirty-year USC Libraries employee, Fulmer began his new duties January 2.

The State Library's Information Services department is pleased to offer a class on how to use online resources to track legislation.

The State Library is pleased to announce a new webinar series, South Carolina Government--Bit by Bit, on South Carolina government websites beginning on February 7, 2013. The one-hour sessions will address popular topics that state agencies address and reveal the wealth of information available through these resources.

Braille is used throughout the world by people who read a variety of languages. Louis Braille designed the coding system, based on patterns of raised dots, by which the blind can read through touch. January 4th is Louis Braille's birthday, and thus, January is also designated to be National Braille Literacy Month.

The South Carolina State Library has partnered with the South Carolina Department of Revenue and the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs to provide the public with information on how to minimize the possibility of identity theft. The free webinar, The Truth About Identity Protection, will address the issues of security breaches, credit reports, and enrolling in credit monitoring for South Carolinians.

This January the Laurens County Library is pleased to host Thursday night book events with four upstate Authors.

January 3 at 7 PM, Rick Veal of Laurens will present his new "contemporary paranormal romance" novel, The Master of Whitehall. In addition, Andrea Cefalo will also be on hand to present her young adult novel, The Fairytale Keeper, Avenging the Queen.

The Sumter County Library will host the 2013 Local Author Fair on Saturday, January 26th from 3pm to 5pm in the Main Meeting Room of the Main Library. Local authors will be on hand to discuss and sign their works. Some will also have their works for sale. The following authors are scheduled to appear:

The Cyrenius H. Booth Library in Newtown, Connecticut, has provided links and information about the recent school shooting crisis. There is a link to information on grief and family counseling as well as a crisis hotline.

The Friends of the York County Library recently announced that Connie Newland is the 2012 recipient of the Joann W. McMaster Volunteer of the Year award at a reception to honor Friends of the Library volunteers. The award is named in honor of Joann McMaster, who helped found the Friends of the York County Library organization in 1975 and served as its first president.

A new display at the SC State Library highlights programs and events at public libraries across the state. South Carolina's libraries are uniquely in touch with their communities and strive to service all ages with creative programs and resources. A dozen county library systems submitted fliers and brochures highlighting programs and events they held in the last year.