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USC Lancaster held a Rededication Ceremony Oct. 24 to celebrate the $4 million expansion and renovation of Medford Library. The project added 24,000 square feet for library collection and technology.
The program included remarks by former South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges, chief executive officer and managing director of Hodges Consulting Group; Billy Boan, chief operating officer and managing director of Hodges Consulting Group; and USC President Andrew Sorensen.
"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 doubled the library’s functional space, which includes over 80,000 volumes, government documents, over 200 magazines and journals, microfilm, microfiche, and a wide variety of web-based databases. 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. The renovations to the library also include new space for the Academic Success Center, a tutoring center that provides free tutoring to any student in any course. USC Lancaster is the only campus that provides this level of service for students. The Medford Library addition also houses the TRIO Learning Center, including the Opportunity Scholars Program and Upward Bound.
The finishing touch for the renovated Medford Library will be the landscaping of its grounds.
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 has designed a landscape plan that includes beds of native shrubs, trees, and perennials surrounding the building itself.
"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. I think the community will be pleased with the results."
11/04
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At the USC Lancaster Medford Library Rededication Ceremony, USC President Andrew Sorensen was assisted by Clarissa Carelock, president of the Student Government Association at USCL, and Andre Kennedy, vice president of SGA at USCL.
