Welcome back after the Thanksgiving holiday!

The South Carolina Library Association Annual Conference is this week in Hilton Head. I hope that many of you will be joining in on the sessions and discussions there. It promises to be a good week.

There are two sessions in particular that I hope you’ll attend:

Sustainable Libraries: The Next Generation, Wednesday, 11/29, 1:30pm
Presenters include David Warren, Richland County Public Library Director, and David Milling, President of David Milling & Associates/Architects. This session will focus on creating “green” library buildings, facilities that are energy efficient and more environmentally friendly. It’s an exciting trend in library design. Mr. Warren is well-known in SC and national library circles. RCPL was Library Journal’s Library of the Year in 2001. Mr. Milling is a nationally recognized library architect, featured recently in the American Libraries 2006 Showcase of New and Renovated Facilities.

Rural Library Service in the 21st Century: Lessons from WebJunction’s Rural Library Sustainability Project in South Carolina, Friday, 12/1, 9:00am
The Rural Library Sustainbility Project is a national grant from WebJunction, intended to identify the challenges facing rural libraries in today’s changing climate. Shae Tetterton, Julie Boller, and I will discuss what we learned from our three workshops and what the State Library’s Library Development Services hopes to do to address the needs of public libraries in SC.

While you’re there, don’t forget to stop by the South Carolina State Library exhibit booth!