The South Carolina State Library has launched a new campaign, Connecting State Government to Information Resources, to let state agency employees know more about the host of free services it offers. The campaign will run during the month of August and will provide posters to state government agencies highlighting the agency's services. State government agencies can schedule one of the library's staff members to present at your next staff development session or new employee orientation. The State Library now has a new and improved web site and online catalog.

The Director of the South Carolina State Library, David Goble, and State Library board member, Dr. B.G. Stephens, recently visited the Union County Carnegie Library to deliver a State Library Board of Trustee's proclamation congratulating the library on receiving Library Journal's highest recognition of excellence for a small public library in the United States. At the beginning of this year, the library received the Best Small Library in America award for 2009.

The South Carolina Academy of Authors is pleased to announce The Carrie McCray Nickens Fellowship in Poetry. The fellowship with be awarded annually in April in the amount of $500.00. Applicants must be South Carolina Residents and manuscripts must be typed and submitted on standard 8 1/2 X 11 paper. There is no restriction to form or content. The deadline for entries is Friday, November 13, 2009. The winner of the fellowship will be notified by March 1, 2010.

The Executive Board of the American Library Association (ALA) approved the establishment of a certification program for library support staff at its Monday, July 13, meeting in Chicago. The LSSC Program is the first national, voluntary certification program for library support staff. Funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the program will now enter a testing phase in five library organizations across the United States.

Thirteen-year-old Shelby Craig is from Summerville, South Carolina, but has been to Detroit fifty-five times. She has been making the trip once or twice a year since she was six-weeks-old to visit her eye doctor, Dr. Michael Trese. A pediatric retinal specialist with Beaumont Hospital, Dr. Trese sees children from all over the world. Shelby speaks very highly of her doctor. "Knowing Dr. Trese, I don't think there isn't anyone he can't get along with."

The Lion's Roar podcast for the week of July 17, 2009 (episode 17), is now available online and on iTunes.

The South Carolina State Library is pleased to announce the redesign of its web site. The new, updated version of the library's web site now provides simpler navigation, search options for the online catalog or web site, featured news and events, and even a direct Twitter feed. Banners at the top of main categories such as Services to State Employees and Talking Book Services now feature main news items. Direct links to the Library's social media applications are now made available at the bottom of every page along with the Ask A Librarian chat box.