Charleston Library Society
On June 13, 1748 a group of seventeen men from Charleston organized to begin purchasing current periodicals from England.
The founders were Alexander Baron; Samuel Brailsford; Robert Brisbane; William Burrows; John Cooper; Paul Douxsaint; James Grindlay; William Logan; Alexander McCauley; Patrick McKie; Thomas Middleton; John Neufville Jr.; Thomas Sacheverel; John Sinclair; Paul Stevenson; Peter Timothy; Joseph Wragg Jr.; and Samuel Wragg Jr.[1] The men each contributed ten pounds sterling to the enterprise.
Eventually, though, in 1754, after having added other members, they acquired a charter under the name the Charles Town Library Society.
Most of the early books needed to be purchased from England because the American printing industry was only in its infancy in the 18th century.
Originally, elected librarians safeguarded the Library's materials in their homes until 1792, when the collection was transferred to the upper floor of the Statehouse (today, the Charleston County Courthouse).
The Society received a gift from James Murdoch of seed money to begin a fund for the construction of a new building, and the search for a new location began.
[13] Only the facade of the Carolina Rifles Armory had survived Hurricane Hugo, so the Library Society retained that but built a fireproof storage building behind it for its rarest and most valuable collections.
From the summer of '12 to '16, past Director Brien Beidler oversaw repair and conservation of the Library's priceless collection.
The space also serves as the Jerrold and Ann Mitchell Conservation Lab, a working reminder of the dedication that the Charleston Library Society maintains towards the proper care and repair of their historical treasures.
From here, staff utilize the most up-to-date techniques to stabilize the rarest volumes from the collection so they can be enjoyed by members, researchers, and visitors alike.
