Richland Library

File:Richland County Library Mobile Unit (SC).jpg

The library began as a private charity in 1896. In 1924 the City of Columbia took over the operation and financing of the library, and the Columbia Public Library was born.{{cite journal |author = Friends of the Richland County Public Library |date = 14 February 1993 |title = Commemorative Edition |journal = The Friendly Forum |volume = 18 |issue = 1 |publisher = Friends of the Richland County Public Library }} Having been housed in a number of storefront locations, in 1929 the library moved into the former home of Dr James Woodrow, the uncle of President Woodrow Wilson. The library added a bookmobile, and a Phillis Wheatley branch in the African-American neighborhood of Waverly in 1930.{{cite book |last = Coop|first = Roberta V. H. |date=November 2002 |title = A History of Richland County Public Library |publisher = Richland County Public Library}} In 1933 Richland County began financing the library, and in 1934 the South Carolina General Assembly approved the takeover, so the name was changed to Richland County Public Library. The library was granted nonprofit status in 1982.{{cite web |url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/search?c_code%5Bid%5D=&ntee%5Bid%5D=&order=revenue&q=columbia&sort_order=desc&state%5Bid%5D=SC&utf8=✓ |publisher=ProPublica |location=New York |title=Columbia, South Carolina |work=Nonprofit Explorer |editor=Mike Tigas and Sisi Wei |access-date=April 10, 2022}}

In 1986, the RCPL, together with the University of South Carolina, began an annual event, "A(ugusta) Baker's Dozen: A Celebration of Stories" in honor of Augusta Braxton Baker, a pioneering children's librarian originally with the New York Public Library.{{cite book |title=Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume 5: Completing the Twentieth Century |last=Ware |first=Susan |author2=Stacy Braukman |year=2005 |publisher=Belknap Press of Harvard University Press |isbn= 978-0-674-01488-6 |page=37 }}

Over the decades the library added branches, and by 1989 had outgrown its {{convert|32000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} main branch. On February 14 of that year, that voters of Richland County approved a $27 million bond referendum.{{cite news |title=Richland Voters OK Library Bond Issue |newspaper=The State |date=15 February 1989 |page=A1 }} Exactly four years later the new Main Library opened at 1431 Assembly Street. The project had been shepherded by C. David Warren, library director since 1979.{{cite news |title=Richland County's Library Director, Wins Lucy Hampton Bostick Award |newspaper=The State |date=14 February 1993 |page=B1 }} The remainder of the bond proceeds were used for other improvements, including the addition of seven new branch buildings. In 2001, the Library Journal and the Gale Group named Richland County Public Library the National Library of the Year.

File:RichlandCountyPublicLibraryfacade.JPG

Costing $11.6 million, the four story, {{convert|242000|sqft|sqm}} Main Library, designed by architect Eugene Aubry, was the chief reason for the bond issue. Aside from the striking exterior, the Children's Room, which is located in the building's basement, has a mural of characters from Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. This is the only place in the world where Sendak approved such use of his work.{{cite news |title='Spectacular' Library Opens Its Doors Today |newspaper=The State |date=14 February 1993 |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CS&s_site=thestate&p_multi=CS&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB58264399A9EB2&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |page=A1 |access-date=15 January 2010}}

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• [http://www.richlandlibrary.com/ Richland Library]

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South Carolina

Category:Education in Columbia, South Carolina

Category:Buildings and structures in Columbia, South Carolina

Category:Education in Richland County, South Carolina

Category:1924 establishments in South Carolina