State Library Requests Staff, Increased Aid as It Reports Heavy Use and Digitization Gains
February 11, 2025 | Public Education and Special Schools Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, Ways and Means, Standing, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, South Carolina
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Lisa Aiken, director of the South Carolina State Library, told the Public Education and Special Schools Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee that the library is requesting 10 new positions and an increase in state aid to $3 per capita to expand digitization, services for people who are blind or print disabled and library development assistance.
Aiken said the state library continues to act as the official state documents depository and has expanded its digital holdings and public-facing services. "We are the South Carolina State Documents Depository," she said, adding that the agency is "mandated to receive 15 copies of printed documents from all state agencies." She described nightly web crawling that pulls potentially public state documents from agency websites so the library can validate and catalog them for long-term public access.
The request comes as the library reported heavy public use and recent digitization work. Aiken told the committee the digital depository now contains more than 54,000 items; staff added 306,039 state documents to their digital processes last year, digitized more than 2,000 pages of older materials and added several hundred printed state documents to the collection. She said the library had about 416,000 page views of state documents last year and that DISCUS electronic resources recorded about 26,000,000 retrievals. Talking book services increased patrons by about 15 percent, she said.
Aiken highlighted a recent special project that digitized Works Progress Administration transcriptions of tombstone inscriptions covering roughly 3,50 historical cemeteries and about 4,000 people, now searchable in the state library's digital repository. She also noted partnerships and programs supported by the library: the state library circulates 107 programming kits (including robotics and dementia kits) to public libraries, provided park passes 10,692 times through a Parks and Recreation partnership, and passed federal grants and other funds to local libraries for vending machines, outreach vehicles and literacy projects.
On federal funding, Aiken told members the library seeks to push federal grant funds out to local libraries and that "this year we have about $350,000 going directly out to public libraries" for special programs. She said some library positions remain funded by federal dollars but that the legislature previously funded most talking book services staff so those roles could be retained.
Committee members pressed the director about local controversies over materials and how libraries classify materials for different age groups. Aiken said classification and reconsideration remain a local-board responsibility: "The legislation is that libraries, public libraries are controlled by their board and the director is responsible for the daily operations of the library," she told the committee. She said the state library has distributed guidance and a reconsideration-request form so local libraries have a standardized process to address complaints, and that the state library's guidance relies on South Carolina law distinguishing adults (18 and older) from minors.
Aiken described the state library's guidance to local libraries on audience labeling as relying on publisher recommendations and South Carolina law rather than an external rating system. "If it is not 17 below then we're saying it needs to go to the adult section," she said, noting that local library boards and directors ultimately decide placement under their policies.
The presentation included an overview of state library services to institutional libraries and community partnerships with agencies such as the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Juvenile Justice, as well as training for educators and public-library development consulting. Aiken closed by reiterating the central budget asks: 10 new positions for preservation, services for blind and print-disabled patrons, and expanded support for DISCUS and library development; and moving state aid from $2.50 per capita (the current level she said has not changed since February 2007) toward $3 per capita as requested in the packet.
The committee paused its meeting for the noon legislative session after the library's presentation; there was no formal committee vote recorded on the library's request during the transcripted portion of the session.
Aiken said the state library continues to act as the official state documents depository and has expanded its digital holdings and public-facing services. "We are the South Carolina State Documents Depository," she said, adding that the agency is "mandated to receive 15 copies of printed documents from all state agencies." She described nightly web crawling that pulls potentially public state documents from agency websites so the library can validate and catalog them for long-term public access.
The request comes as the library reported heavy public use and recent digitization work. Aiken told the committee the digital depository now contains more than 54,000 items; staff added 306,039 state documents to their digital processes last year, digitized more than 2,000 pages of older materials and added several hundred printed state documents to the collection. She said the library had about 416,000 page views of state documents last year and that DISCUS electronic resources recorded about 26,000,000 retrievals. Talking book services increased patrons by about 15 percent, she said.
Aiken highlighted a recent special project that digitized Works Progress Administration transcriptions of tombstone inscriptions covering roughly 3,50 historical cemeteries and about 4,000 people, now searchable in the state library's digital repository. She also noted partnerships and programs supported by the library: the state library circulates 107 programming kits (including robotics and dementia kits) to public libraries, provided park passes 10,692 times through a Parks and Recreation partnership, and passed federal grants and other funds to local libraries for vending machines, outreach vehicles and literacy projects.
On federal funding, Aiken told members the library seeks to push federal grant funds out to local libraries and that "this year we have about $350,000 going directly out to public libraries" for special programs. She said some library positions remain funded by federal dollars but that the legislature previously funded most talking book services staff so those roles could be retained.
Committee members pressed the director about local controversies over materials and how libraries classify materials for different age groups. Aiken said classification and reconsideration remain a local-board responsibility: "The legislation is that libraries, public libraries are controlled by their board and the director is responsible for the daily operations of the library," she told the committee. She said the state library has distributed guidance and a reconsideration-request form so local libraries have a standardized process to address complaints, and that the state library's guidance relies on South Carolina law distinguishing adults (18 and older) from minors.
Aiken described the state library's guidance to local libraries on audience labeling as relying on publisher recommendations and South Carolina law rather than an external rating system. "If it is not 17 below then we're saying it needs to go to the adult section," she said, noting that local library boards and directors ultimately decide placement under their policies.
The presentation included an overview of state library services to institutional libraries and community partnerships with agencies such as the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Juvenile Justice, as well as training for educators and public-library development consulting. Aiken closed by reiterating the central budget asks: 10 new positions for preservation, services for blind and print-disabled patrons, and expanded support for DISCUS and library development; and moving state aid from $2.50 per capita (the current level she said has not changed since February 2007) toward $3 per capita as requested in the packet.
The committee paused its meeting for the noon legislative session after the library's presentation; there was no formal committee vote recorded on the library's request during the transcripted portion of the session.
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