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Groundbreaking ceremonies for the South Carolina Political Collections (SCPC) wing will be at 5 p.m. May 10 at Thomas Cooper Library. A similar wing will be added to the opposite side of the library to house the University's rare books and special collections holdings with a groundbreaking at 10 a.m. on June 14 at the library.
Featured speakers for the SCPC event will be the Hon. James B. Edwards, former governor of South Carolina and the Hon. Ernest F. Hollings, former U.S. Senator from South Carolina. Remarks will also be offered by Paul Willis, dean of libraries; President Sorensen; Herb Hartsook, director of SCPC; and Trip King, director of development for SCPC.
After years of planning, construction will soon begin on the SCPC's new home. A 32,000-square-foot wing will be added to the east side of Thomas Cooper Library as part of an overall expansion project and, when complete, will provide SCPC with state-of-the-art housing for the study, exhibit, care, and storage of the holdings.
The SCPC wing will consist of three floors and contain public spaces, including a multi-function lecture hall and auditorium, a reading room, exhibition galleries, a conference room, and a mini-theater. The new wing is designed to provide enhanced facilities for researchers; climate-controlled storage areas for books, manuscripts, and framed materials; dedicated space for public programs and teaching; and improved exhibit galleries for the permanent and temporary display of collection materials.
SCPC currently holds more than 70 collections, including the papers of contemporary politicians such as Fritz Hollings, Carroll Campbell, John West, Bob McNair, Dick Riley, Jim Edwards, Floyd Spence, Bryan Dorn, Liz Patterson, David Wilkins, Donald Russell, and Olin Johnston. SCPC also serves as the repository for the papers of the S.C. Republican and Democratic Parties and the League of Women Voters of South Carolina. SCPC houses the most comprehensive collection of South Carolina political materials anywhere.
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Artist's conceptual drawing of the Thomas Cooper Library with two new wings.
