Lee County Public Library

History:

The Lee County Library has a long history dating back to 1901.  Originally housed in a small building on Main Street next to the Bishopville Opera House; the building was described as "being too small to be a barber shop."  During the next few years, the library struggled and moved many times.  

In 1935 the Board of Education entered an agreement with the WPA to provided county wide bookmobile service.  For the first time the citizens and school children of Lee County were provided books on a systematic, organized fashion.  

In 1949 Lee County built an attractive building on Dennis Avenue.  Four years later the Lee County Library moved again to the Woodward Memorial Library Building on the corner of Main and Church Streets.  The building was donated by Mr. Hosea Woodward to memorialize his wife, Blanch Tarrant Woodward.  In 1979 the building was completely  renovated and a large addition was added.  

With the arrival of the 21st century the Library Board and Foundation found that creative thinking was required to meet the demands of an ever changing constituency.  In 2006 the library moved to the corner of Main and Council Streets into a library space unique in the state.  The ambiance of the brick-wall lined library interior allows for a relaxed atmosphere that encourages browsing.  

In 2012 the Lee County Library joined the SCLends Consortium.  The consortium is a group of 19 libraries sharing resources through out the state.  With the inclusion of all the branches of the 19 other libraries the total is 61 locations.  The library collection expanded from 54,000 items to 2.9 million items available to our patrons.

From it's beginning as a small library society, the Lee County Library has taken it's place in all county activities.  With it's in depth services the Lee County Library is a community asset.