Genealogy enthusiasts of all interest levels can explore family trees free of charge thanks to the Friends-funded Ancestry Library Edition, the largest online family history resource available. The Ancestry Library Editon provides unprecedented access to documents that record the lineage of individuals from all over the world. Answers await all users – professional or hobbyist, expert or novice, genealogist or historian – from more than 20 billion available records.
More than your average book club, Let’s Talk About It is a discussion series led by USC Aiken Humanities scholars. Participants read, watch, and then compare three novels to their film adaptations. The Friends of the Library provide funds for the scholar honorariums and the movies.
A dedicated Teen Room at the Aiken County Public Library provides a fun and safe hangout for adolescents. In addition, the Friends of the Library fund many programs to keep tweens and teens engaged, including Tween & Teen Book Clubs, Tween & Teen Painting, Robotics for Tweens & Teens, Game Time, Scavenger Hunts, Teen After Hours, Teen Hangout, and Teen Community Sketch Book.
The Friends of the Library were instrumental in launching A*Con in 2024, Aiken’s first ever family-friendly convention celebrating graphic novels, manga, comic books, and pop culture. A biennial event, A*Con includes author panels, a cosplay contest, scavenger hunt artist alley, activities for kids, food trucks and more. Promoting all forms of literacy, A*Con aims to introduce a diverse population of community members to library services, to celebrate literature with successful South Carolina authors, and to promote that graphic novels and manga are assets to readers, especially struggling readers.
In addition to the many programs the Friends of the Library support, the Friends fund many of the library’s operational needs. Recent additions include new blinds, lighting, Creative Lab furniture, hub benches and laptop tables, circulation room cabinets, 32 new book trucks, and a new outside book and media drop
Let us go then, you and I, to Art of Words – a Friends-funded popular monthly open mic poetry event created for adults and young adults to practice performance skills in front of a small audience. Co-hosted by poets Big Bailey and CathyB. Art of Words is a great opportunity for participants to gain confidence, receive feedback, and get inspiration for creating new creative works.