Cherokee County Public Library staff members receive training to implement SAM, the new public computer access management software. Thanks to a U.S. Department of Education award generously allocated by the South Carolina General Assembly in 2009 and administered by the South Carolina State Library (SCSL), the Cherokee County Public Library is continuing to offer quality services to local residents.

The library has utilized the award to install “SAM,” an integrated public computer management system that will ensure equitable access to its public computers. The system will be activated this week and will manage the 25,000-plus public user sessions the library experiences per year.

“We have seen a dramatic increase over the past two years in the use of our public computers. We expect patrons to be very pleased with SAM, as it streamlines both their computer access procedure and printing process,” said library Systems Administrator Cindy Harry. SAM will be available at both Gaffney and Blacksburg libraries.

The State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF) Program is an appropriation of funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), was awarded through the U.S. Department of Education to each State to help stabilize state and local budgets. A portion of the SFSF identified as Government Services Funds was distributed to County Public Library systems at $.42 per capita. SFSF funds help replace a portion of library funding lost in the current fiscal year owing to budget cuts across the State.

According to Cherokee County Public Library Director Lana Gardner, “These funds will greatly benefit the citizens of our communities. Because of the funds, we are able to improve and increase services we thought we could not afford or would have to cut during the recent statewide and national budget crisis. We greatly appreciate the State Library’s ability to manage and distribute these funds.”

In addition to SFSF funds, the library has recently received two mini-grants that will enhance children’s services. These grants are administered by the State Library and awarded under the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

One grant will fund a “Grandfamily Resource Center” to be located in the children’s area and will focus on grandparents who are primary caregivers to grandchildren. This area will include specially selected books, a comfortable chair for reading with a child and helpful information on parenting and grandparenting.

The second grant will provide the library with an “Early Literacy Station” computer with educational software designed for preschoolers.

“Until now, children had to be six years old to use library computers. The addition of the Early Literacy Station will not only provide fun activities, but will give even the youngest children the opportunity to learn technology skills,” said Gardner.

For more information on these and other programs at the Cherokee County Public Library, call (864) 487-2711 or visit the library’s website at www.cherokeecountylibrary. org.

The South Carolina State Library is the primary administrator of federal and state support for the state’s libraries and is a national model for innovation, collaboration, leadership and effectiveness. Its mission is to optimize South Carolina’s investment in library and information services. In 1969, as the result of action by the General Assembly, the State Library Board was redesignated as the South Carolina State Library and assumed responsibility for public library development, library service for state institutions, service for the blind and physically handicapped and library service to state government agencies.