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About Us
For 117 years, the Anderson County Library System has been an essential and dynamic institution whose dedicated staff provides outstanding service, meaningful collections, and impactful programs in welcoming and inspiring spaces for the residents of Anderson County.
Message From the Library Director
Dear Anderson County Library Patrons and Supporters,
2025 was a big year for the Library, and we are super proud of everything we’ve accomplished! Some of the highlights include:
Iva Branch Library opening – what a wonderful space for the community to gather!
Book vending machine at the Hwy 24 Food Lionbooks in a library desert!
New LEAP Stations at several locations – more nontraditional items for checkout!
Reading programs for all ages including a year-long adult reading challenge!
A world champion teen Vex Robotic Team!
Various outreach events, programs, campaigns and much more!
And all of these innovative projects are important, because in the end they keep you coming to the library and using the library resources, which is what we want for our community. At our September board meeting this year, I presented statistics that showed more people are using the library than they were 10 years ago! This is largely due to the ability of libraries to offer digital eBooks and audiobooks to patrons. The way people read has evolved over the years, and so have we. I’m thankful that we have been able to do that, and I appreciate my team that continues to think outside the box so we can remain relevant to the community. Because at the end of the day, your support and use of the library is what matters the most. So if you will, please tell a friend how much the library means to you. Encourage a neighbor to get their library card. Tell your coworker about story time. Libraries are so much more than books; we are community spaces made for everyone.
Hope I see you here in 2026!
Our Vision
The library is community-driven and innovative, providing essential resources, services, and spaces.
Our Strategic Goals
OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY
We will grow our community impact by engaging nonusers, reinforcing the library’s relevance, and deepening relationships across the community.
PATRON EXPERIENCE
We will strive to ensure every patron experiences consistent, high-quality service, a sense of belonging, and access to the materials they want, in the formats that best meet their needs.
INNOVATION
We will identify and develop innovative opportunities to deliver unique services, programs, and materials that meet evolving community needs.
ENGAGE OUR TEAM
We will attract and retain a diverse, engaged staff by investing in training, resources, and transparent, consistent communication.
Serving Anderson County with 9 Library Locations and a Bookmobile
After 22 years and miles of smiles, our beloved Bookmobile will be retiring. We’ll be introducing our new Community Outreach Van in early 2026!
Anderson Belton Iva
Honea Path
Williamston
Pendleton
Piedmont
Powdersville
Westside
OUR INCREDIBLE PATRONS
82,151
Total Library Cardholders (Awesome!)
10,296 New Library Cards Issued (Woohoo!)
9,372 Library Cards Renewed (Welcome back!)
Know someone who doesn’t have a library card? We’d love to get them signed up! Every branch location and the Bookmobile can issue a library card.
We love issuing and renewing library cards!
Library cards expire! Your library card is good for 2 years — then it’s time to renew. Stop by any library location to make sure your card is ready to check out your next great read!
Library Visits
By the Numbers
You visited us 376,822 times in 2025. Thanks for coming in!
Public computer use stayed strong in 2025, with 28,647 sessions.
Computer Use
You checked out 909,548 items in 2025. Item Checkout
You asked, we answered! Our team answered 95,251 reference questions last year.
Groups used our Main Library meeting spaces 3,337 times.
1,340 documents were notarized last year.
Reference Questions
Library Book Clubs had 108 meetings in 2025.
Checkout
68,681 of you checked out 98,231 items on our self-checkout stations.
number of
Our innovative Makerspace served 2,867 patrons in 2025.
Bringing the library to you is our favorite thing to do! There were 175 Bookmobile stops in 2025.
Our youngest readers attended 435 storytimes in 2025. ECC Makerspace
542,418 of you visited our website in 2025.
Our Book-a-Librarian service remained popular with 53 appointments.
Savings
Books
$2,664,811 was saved by borrowing books in 2025
eBooks & Audiobooks
$3,309,156 was saved by borrowing ebooks and audiobooks in 2025
$87,900 was saved by borrowing Wi-Fi hotspots in 2025
It’s no secret that life’s expensive; that’s why borrowing items from the Library is a great way to save your hard-earned dollars!
In 2025, our community saved a whopping $7,377,897 by borrowing items from the Library instead of buying them.
DVDs
$171,565 was saved by borrowing DVDs in 2025
Streaming Movies/TV
$24,282 was saved by streaming from our digital collection in 2025
$40,487 was saved by borrowing LEAP Station items in 2025
$184,190 was saved by borrowing magazines in 2025
Most Popular: Physical Collection
You borrowed both traditional and non-traditional items in 2025. We’ll continue to add to both collections and keep you coming back for more of what you like!
Most Popular: Digital Collection
Our digital collection continues to rise, with an impressive 368,534 digital checkouts in 2025. See what was popular below!
Libby Young Adult eBook
Libby Youth eBook
Libby Adult eBook Hoopla Young Adult eBook Hoopla Youth eBook Hoopla Adult eBook
Libby Young Adult eAudiobook
Libby Youth eAudiobook
Libby Adult eAudiobook Hoopla Young Adult eAudiobook Hoopla Youth eAudiobook Hoopla Adult eAudiobook
Library Programs
From Summer Reading to our annual Books and Community read, programs were a huge part of 2025! We welcomed 38,170 of you to 1,713 engaging library events and programs, and can’t wait to welcome even more of you in 2026!
Teens (Ages 12-18)
Babies & Toddlers (Ages 0-5) 483 programs
Children (Ages 6-12) 227 programs
Tweens (Ages 8-12) 18 programs
Community Outreach
From festivals and school literacy nights, to library card signup events and senior care center visits, we enjoyed getting out in the community and connecting with you at 57 events in 2025!
Library Improvements
New Iva Branch Library!
Our new Iva Library opened for patrons on May 30th, 2025 with a grand opening ceremony! Over 100 patrons braved the rain and showed up to see our beautiful new space.
Since opening, the Iva Library has seen a 133% increase in visits, a 105% increase in item checkouts, and added a weekly family storytime for kids ages 0-5!
The LEAP Station
We opened three new LEAP Stations in 2025! Belton, Iva, and Powdersville now have their very own LEAP Stations, raising our total to five.
Patrons continue to be enthusiastic borrowers of nontraditional items like sports equipment, puzzles and games, park and museum passes and more.
We’ll keep expanding our LEAP Stations and improving our current ones in 2026!
Vending Machine
In partnership with Anderson County, South Carolina State Library, The Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Food Lion, the library opened our brand-new Library Book Vending Machine on Friday, June 20. Attendees were dazzled by this innovative machine and how easy it is to use. We hope this new vending machine will expand library access in the county and bring library joy to patrons for years to come!
Anderson Main LEAP Station
Powdersville LEAP Station
Pendleton LEAP Station
Iva LEAP Station Belton LEAP Station
Connecting Online
From fun social media initiatives to a brand new website, we upped our online presence in 2025. See some highlights below!
Digital Event Guide
Our digital Event Guide made gains in online readership with each quarterly issue in 2025! 4,487 of you read it online. Haven’t seen our digital guide yet? Check it out at https://issuu.com/andersonlibrarysc
Print copies are always available at your library!
Social Media
Our social media presence continues to grow! Our Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Nextdoor accounts hosted engaging content, ranging from book reviews to silly videos that our community loved. Also, our Facebook and Instagram following grew!
8,104 followers
page visits
content views
2,895 followers 9,622 people reached
content views
62,097 members 365 neighborhoods 42 posts in 2025
349 subscribers 119 videos
lifetime views
Weekly Emails
Subscribers to our email are always in the know about our latest library programs and events! Since their creation last year, our weekly emails have been read over 1.2 million times. Want to join the club? Visit andersonlibrary.org/email-updates to sign up!
Friends of the Library
2025 Board Officers
Eleanor Walters Chair
Shirley McNabb Vice Chair
Libba Kellner Secretary
Elisabeth Willett Treasurer
The Friends of the Anderson County Library is a nonprofit organization that supports the growth, development, and greatest possible use of the Library. Membership is open to everyone, and membership cost goes directly towards funding important library programs, such as Summer Reading, literacy initiatives, and more.
Some of the projects our Friends helped fund in 2025 are:
Sonic Lunch Partnership with GAMAC | Adult Services
Youth Summer Reading Program | Youth Services
Magic Desktop Computers | Youth Services
VEX IQ Robotics Team Travel Expenses | Teen Services
Teen & Adult Author Visits | Teen Services, Adult Services
Storywalk Updates at KidVenture, Belton Bubble Gum Trail, and Mineral Springs Park | Outreach Services
Chapter Chasers Adult Reading Challenge Prizes | Adult Services
Thank You for Being a Friend!
For more information on becoming a member, volunteering, or shopping in the Friends of the Anderson County Library used bookstore and gift shop, visit andersonlibrary.org/ friends.
Support the library you love at the Friends of the Library Online Shop! From stylish apparel to cozy home & living items, the Friends Shop offers something for everyone. The best part? All proceeds support learning and discovery at the Anderson County Library!
Shop online at andersonlibraryfriends.org today!
Serving our community is our story.
From all of us, Thanks for loving your library!
