Sumter County will be one of six dozen communities to participate in a national program to promote literary reading.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) on Oct. 31 announced in a news release that 72 organizations will receive grants to support Big Read programs between January and June 2007.

The National Federation of the Blind announced that it has created a hotline for blind and visually impaired voters to report any difficulties in casting their ballots both secretly and independently in the upcoming election. 

The purpose of the hotline will be to monitor compliance with the provisions of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) relating to non-visual access to the voting process for the blind.

October 27th Ceremony at the South Carolina State Library will Honor Centenarians from Across the State who are 100 – 105 Years Old

Public libraries in South Carolina continue to explore community outreach options with a variety of activities for all ages. Here are examples of programs three library systems are sponsoring.

Braille Reading Pals, a non-competitive Braille readiness program for blind infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and older students with reading delays, begins November 1 and runs through December 31.

The Department of Education's National Institute of Disability Rehabilitation and Research has awarded a grant to NPR and WGBH's National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) to develop accessible radio technology for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired. 

The South Carolina State Library Board has appointed Dr. Curtis Rogers, Director of the Division of Statewide Library Services, as the interim director of the State Library.

The South Carolina State Library Board has appointed Dr. Curtis Rogers, Director of the Division of Statewide Library Services, as the interim director of the State Library.

Rogers takes the helm Oct. 21 and will serve until a new director is selected and on the job, according to B.G. Stephens, chairman of the State Library Board.

The South Carolina State Library Board has appointed Dr. Curtis Rogers, Director of the Division of Statewide Library Services, as the interim director of the State Library.

Rogers takes the helm Oct. 21 and will serve until a new director is selected and on the job, according to B.G. Stephens, chairman of the State Library Board.

The board is looking for a new director to replace Patti J. Butcher, who leaves the library Oct. 20 to return to her home state of Kansas.

The South Carolina State Library will kick off a series of hands-on technology workshops for public library employees in November with sessions on blogging.

The TechTracks workshops are designed to provide a basic understanding of the technology and offer hands-on instruction. The two-hour workshops on blogging will be held at the State Library in Columbia and at county libraries in Greenville, Florence and Charleston. Participants will read and subscribe to blogs using RSS feeds and create a personal blog.