The Georgetown County Library,
founded in 1799, has a rich and award-winning history. “The mission of the Georgetown County Library
is “to serve as a community resource that expands and enriches the lives of
residents by providing and promoting the use of the library system’s
information, education, and recreation resources.” Through its
actions, the public library now shows itself as an innovator for its
citizens. It also serves well as a community partner that actively
advocates and collaborates for the betterment of all through superior services
and programming. It has registered 70% of the county’s people as
library users, but historically, that openly dynamic, populist focus has
evolved gradually over time.” (georgetowncountylibrary.sc.gov)
The Waccamaw Neck Branch Library,
41 St Paul Place, Pawleys Island, South Carolina strives to actively involve
the community in the library by providing activities to the public which are
often free. Some of the more popular
activities are the Movies at the Library Series, Poetry Writing Contest for
Students, and the Musicians’ Series.
Currently beginning in February
and continuing through May 2019, the Waccamaw Library will host a brand-new
film series on “The Cinematic South.”
The series will take place on Fridays at 2:30 p.m. in the DeBordieu
Auditorium at the Waccamaw Neck Branch Library.
The Cinematic South Matinee Series:
This series helps provide insight
into what makes the South, the South through diverse representations of
Southern culture and history. It
balances Hollywood versions with independent films, comedies and dramas and
views from outsiders. Each film screened
in the series will be connected with related programs at the library and
accompanied by an activity that is equal parts educational and entertaining. Details of the series follow:
Friday,
February 15, 2:30 pm: Big Fish—When Tim Burton’s Oscar-nominated film
adaptation, Big Fish is screened, the
author of the novel Big Fish, Daniel Wallace, will visit on February 12, and
there will be a performance of songs from the Broadway musical of Big Fish. There will also be a “Storytime” with a
children’s book written and illustrated by Wallace.
Friday,
March 15, 5:30 pm: Daughters
of the Dust: The Library will screen director Julie Dash’s
brilliant vision of Gullah Sea Islands culture as part of the Waccamaw
Library’s celebration of Gullah heritage, which includes the performance of the
Plantation Singers on Thursday, March 14 at 5:30 p.m. and a session on how to
coil a sweetgrass wreath. It will also
include David Soliday’s FOWL 1st Thursday presentation on his aerial
photographs of buried rice plantations on March 7 at 10:00 am.
Friday,
March 29, 2:30 pm: O
Brother, Where Art Thou?: This screening will
overlap with a presentation of the history of bluegrass music and a live
concert by South Carolina’s best bluegrass band Palmetto Blue on Saturday,
March 30 at 4:00 pm.
Friday, April 12, 2:30 pm: Fried Green
Tomatoes: Come laugh, cry, and bond…with some delicious fried green
tomatoes on the side!
Friday, April 26, 2:30 pm: To Kill a
Mockingbird: Attendees will sample collards, Lane cake and crackling
bread, food items depicted in the film, and discuss how they symbolize Southern
racial and class divisions.
Friday, May 10, 2:30 pm: Forrest Gump: Trivia Night!
Do you know your American history? Your Southern history? Your movie history?
Come join the fun, as we look for the history behind Forrest’s stories!
History of Georgetown County Library:
Until 1861, the library
functioned as an exclusive library joint-stock company serving an elite group
of 50 rice planters and merchants with 5,000 to 10,000 books. Some of the volumes were donated by Vice
President Aaron Burr. In the 1850’s
ownership of the library was transferred to the Winyah Indigo Society from the
Library Society.
In 1865, the library was occupied
by federal troops and used as a hospital recovery center. When the soldiers left, they took many of the
books with them. The Audubon folios were
never recovered, but a letter written to the community by President George
Washington was later returned by a war veteran from Ohio.
Towards the end of the 19th
Century, a series of devastating hurricanes hit the area destroying the rice
fields, causing economic hardships, and the library was neglected. Luckily for Georgetown County, President
Grover Cleveland was thrown from a hunter’s skiff while duck hunting which
brought national attention to Georgetown County in 1894. This led to Northerners buying the now
defunct plantations, upgrading the estates, and sustaining the economy. By the 1920’s, the old library had rebounded
and circulated books until 1938.
Then the Great Depression hit,
and soon after WWII commenced. In the
1950’s, Georgetown County funded the public library, renovating a former jail
to house it, and established Bookmobile services. In the 1960’s the library was also opened to
all citizens due to actions resulting from the Civil Rights Era.
In 1989, three new buildings in
Georgetown, Andrews and the Waccamaw Neck were added for library resources, and
in 2006, a fourth was added in the Carvers Bay area. In 2010 and 2011, a history center and a
computer literacy area were added to the Georgetown and Andrews Libraries.
Awards Received by Georgetown County Library:
“As for awards, in 2000, the
institution became the only public library nationwide named as a Local Legacy
by the Library of Congress. In 2003, it received the first County’s
Care for Kids Award by the National Association of Counties. In May
2006, it helped win the first-place Health Information Award for Libraries from
the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. During
August 2006, WebJunction named Carvers Bay as the Library of the
Month. In January 2007, Carvers Bay was one of four libraries
featured by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in a short documentary on
advocacy and innovation. In January 2008, the Georgetown County
Library became the first SC institution to be awarded at the White House in
Washington, DC, a National Medal for Library Service. With
innovative services for all, the Georgetown County Library now fully reflects
the best of America’s character. “
(georgetowncountylibrary.sc.gov)
