Activities will begin at 3 p.m. in the Crawford Rose Garden in front of the Medford Library. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held in the library’s atrium.

The program will include remarks by former S.C. Gov. Jim Hodges, CEO and managing director of Hodges Consulting Group; Billy Boan, COO and managing director of Hodges Consulting Group; and Andrew Sorensen, president of the University of South Carolina. The public is cordially invited to attend.

"A library is the academic heart of any institution of higher learning," said Ron Cox, associate dean for academic and student affairs. "This expansion and renovation of the Medford Library is an illustration of USC Lancaster's continuing dedication to academic and scholarly excellence for our students and faculty, and also provides a superb state-of-the-art resource for all citizens of the communities we serve."

The addition doubles the library’s functional space, which includes over 80,000 volumes, government documents, over 200 magazines and journals, microfilm, microfiche, a wide variety of web-based databases, and much more. The additional space is being used for group study rooms; the library’s online catalog and databases; a reserve reading room; offices; a computer lab; a quiet reading room; collections; and general seating. Renovations to the library also include new space for the Academic Success Center, a tutoring center that provides free tutoring to any student. It also houses the TRIO Learning Center, including the Opportunity Scholars Program and Upward Bound.

For the past year the Medford landscaping project has seen the involvement and support of the Lancaster Garden Club. Michael Thomason, a professional landscape architect who recently designed the botanical gardens at the new Charleston Aquarium, was recruited and paid by the club to develop a landscaping design for the new library.

Additional funds for the project were donated by the Friends of the Medford Library and Bill Medford, Jr., son of the library’s namesake who was one of USC Lancaster’s founding fathers.

To create a harmonious natural environment, Thomason designed a landscape plan that includes beds of native shrubs, trees, and perennials surrounding the building itself.

When the project is completed, it is expected to provide a restful and inviting series of outdoor spaces containing a variety of low-maintenance, drought-resistant native species that will attract wild birds and butterflies, and visually enhancing the campus atmosphere for students and members of the community.

"USC Lancaster is indebted to the Lancaster Garden Club for their support of the Medford Library landscaping project,” said Shari Eliades, director of the Medford Library. “I especially want to thank Carolyn Tolson and Michael Thomason, who were instrumental in the origination and implementation of the idea. They have really gone the extra mile for us. Without them, this project would have been impossible,”

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