USC reopens historic South Caroliniana Library, now 183-years-old

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — After a four year renovation, the South Caroliniana Library located on the Horseshoe of the University of South Carolina’s campus is reopening its doors to the public.

Officials say the library is the oldest free-standing academic library in the nation.

According to faculty, its doors first opened 183 years ago in 1840 — and holds the largest collections of unique materials documenting the history and culture of South Carolina since Colonial times.

The $10 million restoration project included restoring the building to how it looked in the 1900’s, adding display cases, and restoring historical features.

Graham Duncan is the library’s Head of Collections.

“This is one of the largest manuscript and published materials and repositories in the Southeast. It is the largest collection documenting the state of South Carolina,” says Duncan.

The library is not only used by distinguished historians, but by students of all ages from kindergarten through graduate school.

“If you’re a grad student getting a dissertation in southern history or if you’re someone writing a book on southern history, this is kind of a must stop place on your research trip,” says Duncan.

Anusha Ghosh is a Pre-med Student at USC, completing an honors theses in how the Civil Rights movement in Columbia improved care for patients of color.

She says the collections in the South Caroliniana Library cannot be found anywhere else.

“The library offers archives in a variety of different subjects ranging from the Civil Rights movement to the University of South Carolina’s football history, and I believe that by accessing these archives students can really enrich their educational experience by looking at what has happened in the past in Columbia’s history,” says Ghosh.

The library will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Tuesday through Saturday — and will be by appointment only for research purposes.

“We’re here for the community, for the USC community, for the public. I hope to see folks studying, researching, and hope this building lasts for another 183 years,” says Duncan.