Learn more about the Gregg-Graniteville Foundation and their gift in "A Legacy Continues: the History of the Gregg-Graniteville Foundation, Inc." by Professor Helsley.
The University of South Carolina Aiken Library has a rich history, dating back to the original home of USCA at Banksia in downtown Aiken. The library at Banksia consisted of 1,196 square feet and was 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 moved to 471 University Parkway, into a 6,800-square-foot space on the second floor of the Penland Building—the only facility on the new campus. Gifts from the Gregg-Graniteville and Swint Foundations provided funds to build a separate library building, appropriately named the Gregg-Graniteville Library. Completed in 1975, USCA became the first of the regional and four-year campuses of the University of South Carolina System to have a separate building devoted to a library.
As an integral part of the USCA Community, the Gregg-Graniteville Library’s mission is to provide the academic community with the resources, services, and spaces to thrive. Current resources include a print collection of over 130,000 volumes, access to 250+ electronic databases, and an e-book collection of over a million titles.
The two-story, 40,000-square-foot building also serves as an official depository library for United States Government Publishing Office and South Carolina State documents, includes a Department of Energy Public Reading Room collection, and manages the Gregg-Graniteville Archives and Museum and the USCA Institutional Archives.
In addition, the library has a technology lending program that includes laptops, iPads, webcams, and more. The space provides access to over 50 student computers, group and individual study rooms, printing, copying, scanning, and access to a host of academic resources.
All services are developed with student and faculty success as the priority. The USCA faculty librarians provide research and reference assistance in person and virtually. USCA library departmental liaisons provide general and assignment-specific instruction across the curriculum and create curated subject, course, and topic research guides, all accessible online.