The Big Read is accepting applications from nonprofit organizations to conduct month-long, community-wide reads between September 2010 and June 2011. The Big Read is a national program designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture. Organizations selected to participate in The Big Read will receive a grant ranging from $2,500 to $20,000, access to online training resources, educational and promotional materials, inclusion of your organization and activities on The Big Read Web site, and the prestige of participating in a highly visible national program.

SCSL has set up an FTP site for easier deposit of agency documents.

FTP (file transfer protocol) is a standard Internet protocol, and the simplest way to exchange files between computers on the Internet. Like the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which transfers displayable Web pages and related files, and the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), which transfers e-mail, FTP is an application protocol that uses the Internet's TCP/IP protocols.

The ALA Public Programs Office is pleased to partner with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for the seventh We the People Bookshelf project. This year's theme, "A More Perfect Union," invites reflection on the idea of the United States as a "union," a "One" as well as a "Many," and will complement library programs observing the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. To stimulate programming, the Bookshelf features a DVD edition of "The Civil War," the award-winning documentary by Ken Burns, including the rights to show the series to public audiences.

The SC State Library has recently produced three interview videos with some of our staff members about Systems Librarianship, Resource Sharing/SC LENDS, and Web Site Management and how they each utilize Open Source software.

Video 1. Systems Librarianship & Open Source with Catherine Buck Morgan, Director of Innovation & Technology: http://vimeo.com/7473800

The South Carolina State Library's biweekly podcast of library news and events celebrates its first year with the 25th episode! The current episode is now available online and on iTunes.

StoryCorps' National Day of Listening resources are now available for November 27, 2009. Libraries can visit http://www.nationaldayoflistening.org/ to download the free Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide with step-by-step interview instructions, equipment recommendations and great questions.

There are several other ways libraries can get involved in the National Day of Listening:

The South Carolina Library Association will hold its annual conference Wednesday October 28 through Friday October 30, 2009 at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Columbia. The exhibitors and vendors hall representing book dealers, library suppliers, and library organizations will be open to the public beginning at 1:00pm on Wednesday and end Thursday at 5:00pm. The general public may purchase an exhibits only pass for $10.00 available at the registration and check in area.

How important are South Carolina's Libraries? How important are the Friends Groups made up of local volunteers that support them? According to the recent proclamation issued by Governor Sanford of South Carolina, they are very important. Friends of South Carolina Libraries (FOSCL) is a statewide organization made up of volunteers with a great interest in keeping South Carolina's libraries energized. FOSCL was founded in the late 1980's with the following objectives:

Calhoun, Chesterfield, Dorchester and York County Public Libraries have gone live on the new SC LENDS online catalog system. SC LENDS is the South Carolina Library Evergreen Network Delivery System and is a growing network of libraries in South Carolina sharing resources. Now, SC LENDS provides access to almost 1.3 million items to more than 315,000 registered borrowers around the state.

Ordinary Heroes is a collection of 48 hauntingly beautiful portraits of Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients. They have been captured by photographer Tom Casalini over a year's time and travel, and each is accompanied by his insightful observations or a shared thought from that individual. Casalini will appear for a book talk and signing reception at the South Carolina State Library, 1500 Senate Street, Columbia, on Tuesday October 20, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.