The Sumter County Library presents "Hip to the Jive: A History of Jazz" in May. This project is possible partially due to a grant from the Sumter County Cultural Commission which receives support from the John and Susan Bennett Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of SC, the South Carolina Arts Commission and the National Endowment of the Arts.

The South Carolina State Library offers many new and interesting resources each month. Check out our New Resources section to find items that may be of interest to you or your state government agency.

Talking Book and Braille Librarians from 23 states will gather in Columbia, South Carolina at the 2012 KLAS Users' Conference to discuss how to improve patron service and incorporate new technologies while working within budget and staff constraints.

Noted Naturalist Rudy Mancke will be speaking at the Friends of the Library annual meeting April 22 at 2:00 PM. This meeting will be held at the Laurens County Library on West Main Street in Laurens.

When it came time to choose an Eagle Scout Service Project, 16-year-old Jay Simpson of Rock Hill wanted to find a way to support the York County Library, where he had actively served on the Teen Advisory Board. He decided to collect good-condition, gently-used books, CDs, and DVDs to donate to the Friends of the Library.

During National Library Week, April 8-14, 2012 staff members from all types of libraries across the state will take a wide range of photographs of library staff members working, helping patrons, teaching, and doing all that librarians do in a given day.

The Reading Rooster explores children's book titles about Easter, Passover, and the Environment. Watch it today and learn about these great books!

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Professor, Author, Poet, and National Book Award winner for Head Off & Split focuses on the importance of libraries. For the full version of her book talk and reading, visit ReadSC.org.

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Librarian of Congress James H. Billington recently announced the appointment of Karen A. Keninger as director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), effective March 26, 2012. Keninger succeeds Frank Kurt Cylke, who retired from federal service on February 28, 2011.