Taylor Atkinson, Deputy Director, and Rieta Drinkwine, Director, Union County Library System, Union, SC (Population served: City of Union: 8,000. FTE: University of South Carolina Union Campus: 687) Big Talk From Small Libraries 2020 February 28, 2020 http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/bigtalk

1. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
Libraries:
Spaces to Unite and
Empower Communities

2. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
Intros

3. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
UNION COUNTY, SC
●Rural; 512 square miles
●27,700 (shrinking, aging)
population
●1 in 3 poverty rate among
children
●1 in 5 adults at or below 3rd
grade
reading level
●1 in 4 students does not graduate
high school in 5 years

4. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
● Opened in 1905 as first
Carnegie Library in SC
● Renovated in 1985; placed on
the National Register of
Historic Places
● $2.5 million renovation and
restoration in 2018 – new
partnership facility
● 2019 Finalist IMLS National
Medal for Museum and Library
Service
● Operates satellites in 3
municipalities throughout the
county

5. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
What did programming look like when you
started in April 2017?

6. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
Library Funding
● County Taxes
● USC Union
● State Aid
● Grants (LSTA, Corporate, etc.)
● Facility Partners
● Fines/Fees

7. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
Current Staffing
● 19 staff
○ 5 full time / 5 part time on payroll
○ 2 Americorps VISTA (full time)
○ 2 Americorps Financial Stability Navigators (part time)
○ 1 College of Social Work MSW (part time)
○ 1 SCSEP (part time)
○ 2 - 3 USC Union Work Studies (part time)

8. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
Facility Partners & Design
First partnership facility of its kind in the state
“In health care and other areas, libraries are combining the access and trust characteristics of a third place with
a hub role in the community – using partnerships with other institutions to connect people with services and
help.” -- How public libraries help build healthy communities

9. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM

10. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
Main Level

11. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
Lower Level

12. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
What type of partnerships does the library
have? Any legal documents?

13. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
What was the process for
establishing a partnership?

14. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
What are some issues resulting
from partnerships?

15. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
How do you engage with partners for library
programs and services now? Highlights?

16. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
What plans are there for
future partnerships?

17. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
Questions?

18. UNION COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
Contact Info
Rieta Drinkwine
rdrinkwine@unionlibrary.org
Taylor Atkinson tatkinson@unionlibrary.org