History of the USC Aiken Gregg-Graniteville Library

The University of South Carolina Aiken Library had its beginning in Banksia, a historic mansion in downtown Aiken which was the original home of USCA. The Library’s 1,196 square feet of space at that time were scattered among the main stack area, a lounge area, a work area, a “closed” stack area and a second-floor area for back issues of periodicals.

In 1972, the Library was moved to the present campus site and into 6,800 square feet of space on the second floor of the Administration Building - the single facility on the new campus. Gifts from the Gregg-Graniteville and Swint Foundations provided funds to build a separate library building which was appropriately named the Gregg-Graniteville Library. The new building was completed in 1975.

The growth of USCA and the Library in particular soon required more than the 20,000 square feet of space provided in the new facility. State funds were consequently secured and a 20,000 square foot addition and major renovation of the existing facility were completed in 1984. The University of South Carolina-Aiken became the first of the Regional and Four-Year Campuses of the University of South Carolina System to have a separate building devoted exclusively to the Library.

During the academic years of 2004/05 through 2006/07 extensive cosmetic changes and some structural alterations were made to the interior of the Library. These changes provided increased collaborative spaces and computing capabilities for students.

The facility, support staff, and collections of the Gregg-Graniteville Library comprise an integral part of USCA’s instructional program. The two-story 40,000 square foot building houses an extensive book, periodical, and microform collection.

The USCA Library also serves as an official depository for federal and state documents and the Department of Energy’s public reading room collection. The Library is fully automated and patrons are afforded the opportunity to access information in a variety of formats using state-of-the-art technology resources.