UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES

City of Columbia

The main campus of the University of South Carolina is located in Columbia, the capital of South Carolina. Columbia has a metropolitan area population just over 500,000. The University and the Columbia area possess abundant resources to support comprehensive training in Applied History and Library and Information Science. Projects, assistantships, and internships may be established with a variety of agencies and institutions including:

THOMAS COOPER LIBRARY
Thomas Cooper library is the University's principal library facility containing over 1.8 million volumes, 1.7 million units of microfilm, and 16,500 current periodicals. Related libraries also are housed in the colleges of Business Administration, Medicine, and Law as well as the departments of Mathematics and Music. The Newsfilm Library also administers the Movietone News archival film collection.

SOUTH CAROLINIANA LIBRARY
The South Caroliniana Library is home to the University's manuscript repository and special collections of South Carolina historical materials. The library contains 60,000 printed volumes and pamphlets, one-half million original issues of newspapers, 10,000 rolls of local newspapers on microfilm, 30,000 items in the collections of music, maps, and photography, and 2.5 million items in the South Carolina manuscript collection.

MCKISSICK MUSEUM
Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the McKissick Museum, with one-half million items in the permanent collection, serves as the center for the University's archives, museums, art gallery, and Movietone News exhibition display.

UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
The University Archives maintains over 4,000 cubic feet of records and 15,000 photographic images.

USC MODERN POLITICAL COLLECTIONS ARCHIVES
The Modern Political Collections is a part of the South Caroliniana Library. Its goal is to document activities of the citizens of South Carolina and their government on all levels. Modern Political Collections collects the records of former South Carolina governors, members of Congress, political parties, community leaders and local organizations.

COLUMBIA MUSEUM OF ART
The Museum is located in the historic Taylor house adjacent to the University of South Carolina campus. Over 125,000 visitors tour the museum's collections yearly. The Museum collects European and American fine and decorative art. In addition to its permanent collection gallery the Museum also has an education gallery, new acquisitions gallery, and temporary exhibition gallery highlighting many other collections.

SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Historical Society's mission is "to collect information respecting every portion of our state, to preserve it, and when deemed advisable, to publish it." The Historical Society maintains a research library and archives, publishes the South Carolina Historical Magazine and Carologue. In addition to its vast holdings the Society hosts tours, lectures and other social functions.

SOUTH CAROLINA INSTITUTE OF ARCHEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
The Institute functions as both a state agency and as a research institute for the University in cultural and resource management. It is concerned with the Prehistoric and Historic Archaeology. The Institute conducts field and collections research in the state.

SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY
Currently located one block from campus, this state agency services one of the largest and best organized collections of public records in the country. The Department is responsible for maintaining a records center, public archives, and historical editing projects of important state documents. Over 7,000 cubic feet of colonial and state records and 3,000 cubic feet of local records are housed in the facility. The Department is scheduled to move to an impressive new facility by the end of 1998.

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE LIBRARY
The State Library performs information services for state government and administers state and federal funds for public libraries in South Carolina. It is active in promoting and assisting in the development of library and information services throughout the state.

THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE MUSEUM
the State Museum, with over 15,000 items in the collection, possesses the largest collection of South Carolina historical objects.

RICHLAND COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Richland County Public Library serves citizens of the South Carolina Midlands through the Main Library in downtown Columbia and nine other branch libraries and a bookmobile. The Library provides it services to residents of Richland County by providing print and non-print materials to meet the various informational, educational, cultural, and recreational needs of the community.



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Updated July 15, 1997.