History of the Association

On October 27, 1915, fourteen librarians and library supporters met in the University of South Carolina Library in response to an invitation from Robert M. Kennedy published the previous day in The State newspaper. Those present voted unanimously to establish the South Carolina Library Association, the purposes of which would be "to arouse and stimulate an interest in the development of libraries, to be a medium of information in (that) regard..., and to bring into touch her library force that they may gather additional strength and inspiration for the work."

SCLA President, Meeting Location, & Conference Dates

1915 R. M. Kennedy Columbia Oct. 27
1916 R. M. Kennedy
1917 R. M. Kennedy Columbia Mar. 14-15
1918 R. M. Kennedy
1919 R. M. Kennedy
1920 R. M. Kennedy
1921 R. M. Kennedy Darlington Nov. 17-18
1922 Louise McMaster
1923 Louise McMaster
1924 Louise McMaster Greenville Mar. 27-28
1925 John Peyre Thomas, Jr. Charleston Apr. 14-15
1926 Charlotte Templeton
1927 Charlotte Templeton Columbia Feb. 22-23
1928 Charlotte Templeton Florence Apr. 2-3
1929 Mrs. Henry Lee Buck Columbia Apr. 4-5
1930 R. Beverly Herbert Greenville Apr. 11-12
1931 Ellen Perry Columbia Apr. 9-10
1932 Lucy Hampton Bostick Columbia May 11-12
1933 Ora A. Willis Charleston May 3-4
1934 Parmelee Cheves Summerville Apr. 20-21
1935 Fanny T. Taber Rock Hill Oct. 4-5
1936 Cornelia Ayer Graham Beaufort May 29-30
1937 Willard Jones Sumter May 7-8
1938 Fant H. Thornley Charleston Mar. 18-19
1939 Fant H. Thornley Columbia Feb. 10-11
1940 Annie Porter Greenville Apr. 26-27
1941 Maude Query Kelsey Columbia Nov. 7-8
1942 Alfred Rawlinson Columbia Nov. 6-7
1943 J. Isaac Copeland Columbia Dec. 1-2
1944 Lewis C. Branscomb Columbia Nov. 24-25
1945 Helen Hagan Columbia Nov. 9-10
1946 Mary Cox Asheville, NC Oct. 25
1947 Frances Lander Spain Charleston Oct. 1-Nov.1
1948 Emily Sanders Myrtle Beach Sept. 24-25
1949 J. Mitchell Reames Greenville Sept 30-Oct.1
1950 Naomi Derrick Atlanta, GA Oct. 14
1951 Nancy C. Blair Clemson May 4-5
1952 Herbert Hucks, Jr. Myrtle Beach Apr. 18-19
1953 Desmond Koster Columbia Oct. 30-31
1954 Lois Barbare Charleston Oct. 29-30
1955 Nancy Burge Columbia Oct. 28-29
1956 Robert C. Tucker Clemson Oct. 26-27
1957 Charles E. Stow Charleston Oct. 25-26
1958 Madeline Mosimann Columbia Oct. 31-Nov.1
1959 J. W. Gordon Gourlay Clemson Oct. 30-31
1960 Marguerite G. Thompson Columbia Oct. 28-29
1961 Nancy Jane Day Charleston Nov. 3-4
1962 Jessie Gilchrist Ham Greenville Oct. 26-27
1963 Elizabeth B. Foran Columbia Nov. 1-2
1964 Betty Martin Charleston Oct. 16-17
1965 Susie Norwood McKeown Greenville Oct. 29-30
1967 Josephine Crouch Myrtle Beach Oct. 5-7
1969 Carol S. Scott Greenville Oct. 9-11
1971 J. Mitchell Reames Columbia Oct. 7-9
1972 J. Frank Nolen Columbia Oct. 13
1973 J. Frank Nolen Myrtle Beach Oct. 11-13
1974 Estellene P. Walker Columbia Oct. 4
1975 Estellene P. Walker Charleston Oct. 9-11
1976 Kenneth E. Toombs Columbia Oct. 21-23
1977 Margaret W. Ehrhardt Myrtle Beach Oct. 13-15
1978 Lennart Pearson Columbia Oct. 12-14
1979 Martin Pautz Charleston Oct. 11-13
1980 John H. Landrum Columbia Oct. 9-11
1981 William Summers Charlotte, NC Oct. 7-9
1982 Gerda Belknap Columbia Oct. 7-9
1983 Paul Dove Greenville Oct. 13-15
1984 Drucilla Reeves Columbia Sept. 13-15
1985 Carl Stone Charleston Oct. 10-12
1986 Susan Hollifield Columbia Oct. 30- Nov.1
1987 Barbara Williams Jenkins Greenville Oct. 14-6
1988 Suzanne Krebsbach Myrtle Beach Nov. 9-11
1989 Betty Callaham Hilton Head Nov. 15-17
1990 Joseph F. Boykin, Jr. Columbia Oct. 17-19
1991 Sarah McMaster Greenville Nov. 5-8
1992 David Cohen Columbia Oct 21-23
1993 Claude Blakely Charleston Dec. 8-10
1994 Deborah Stone (Coleman) Myrtle Beach Feb. 22-24, 1995
1995 Deborah Stone (Coleman) Columbia Dec. 6-8, 1995
1996 Felita Suzette Green Greenville Oct. 30-Nov. 1
1997 Tom Sutherland Myrtle Beach Nov. 12-14
1998 Faith Line Columbia Oct. 21-23
1999 Betsey Carter Hilton Head Dec. 1-4
2000 Norman Belk Columbia Oct. 28
2001 Glynda Christian Myrtle Beach Mar. 15-17
2002 Jeanette Bergeron Charleston Oct. 24-26
2003 Thomas Gilson Columbia Oct. 22-24
2004 Marilyn Tsirigotis Greenville Oct. 27-29
2005 Elizabeth Shuping Columbia Oct. 26-28
2006 Joyce Durant Hilton Head Nov. 29 - Dec. 1
2007 Quincy Pugh Columbia Oct. 31 - Nov. 2
2008 Curtis Rogers Greenville Oct. 22-24
2009 Libby Young Columbia Oct. 28-30
2010 Rayburne Turner Myrtle Beach Oct. 20-22
2011 Adam Haigh North Charleston Oct. 19-21
2012 Yvonne Davis Columbia Oct. 24-26
2013 Jonathan Newton Greenville Nov. 13-15
2014 Ed Rock Columbia Oct. 22-24
2015 Crystal Johnson Columbia Oct. 21-23
2016 John Kennerly Columbia Nov. 9-11
2017 Amber Conger Columbia Oct. 11-13
2018 Jimmy Epling Greenville Oct. 31 - Nov. 2
2019 Amanda Stone Columbia Oct. 9-11
2020 Nathan Flowers Columbia Oct. 6-9
2021 Megan Palmer Virtual Oct. 5-7

Friend of Libraries Award Winners

1976 Jean Galloway Bissel, Columbia
1977 Arthur McGill, Greenville
1978 Lillian Hart, Clinton
1979 Carlisle Bean, Spartanburg
1980 Jean E. Crouch, Saluda
1981 B. O. Thomason, Jr., Greenville
1982 Harriet Keyserling, Beaufort County
1982 Thomas Smith, Florence County
1983 Sarah Miles Norton, Oconee County
1984 Judy Pendarvis, Edgefield County
1985 C. P. "Margie" Porterfield, Lexington County
1986 Bright Parker, Gaffney
1987 Francie Dunlap, Florence
1988 King Dixon, Laurens County
1989 Elma Sanders Rogers, Colleton County
1990 M. Penelope Davis, Charleston
1991 Dr. Rhonda C. Stanton, Francis Marion College
1993 Friends of Richland County Library
1994 Chapin Foundation of Myrtle Beach
1996 Virginia M. Delaney
1996 D. Lindsay Pettus
1997 Mozell T. Robinson, Chester County
1998 Harriet Woodham, Richland County
1999 Barbara Roberts, Friends of McCormick County Library
1999 Lou Roberts, Friends of McCormick County Library
2002 Dr. Randy L. Akers, Executive Director of the South Carolina Humanities Council
2003 David R. Dickerson, Fort Jackson
2004 Senator Gerald Malloy
2005 Tom Fletcher, Fairfield County
2008 Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation of Florence
2011 Clara Mae Neuman, Charleston County Public Library
2018 Friends of the Hilton Head Library

Outstanding Librarian Award

1986 Marvin Stewart, Charleston County
1987 Dennis Bruce, Spartanburg County
1988 Leslie Abrams, Clemson University
1989 Virginia Foley Nilles, Georgetown County
1990 Louise McAuley, Marion County
1991 David Warren, Richland County
1992 Sherman Pyatt, The Citadel
1993 Faith Line, Sumter County
1994 Norman Belk, Greenville County
1995 John Landrum, South Carolina State Library
1996 Katina Strauch, College of Charleston
1997 Lennart Pearson, Presbyterian College
1998 Helen Ann Rawlinson, Richland County
2002 Mary Bull, South Carolina State Library
2003 Marguerite D. Keenan, Pickens County
2004 Dennis Adams, Beaufort County
2005 Libby Law, South Carolina State Library
2006 Guynell Williams, South Carolina State Library
2007 Ray Turner, Charleston County
2009 Ray McBride, Florence County
2010 Pamela Davenport, South Carolina State Library
2011 Deborah Rollerson Harris, Charleston County
2018 Amber Conger, Kershaw County
2019 Annie Sutton, Anderson County

Outstanding New Professional Award

1986 Virginia Warr, Hartsville
1987 Angela Bardin, South Carolina Supreme Court
1989 Cynthia Yarborough, Presbyterian College
1990 Denise Jacobs, Monarch Elementary, Union
1992 Frankie Ashburn, North Carolina Center for the Book
1997 Judith Jordan, Greenville County Public Library
1998 Cary Jones
2001 Laura Holden, Anderson County Library
2003 Maria Jones, Beaufort County Library
2004 Derek Wilmott, University of South Carolina – Columbia
2005 Stacy Winchester, Greenville County Public Library
2018 Danielle Thornton, Greenville County
2019 Emily Jones, MUSC

Outstanding Paraprofessional Award

1997 Betty Cook, Clemson University Library
1998 Rayburne Turner, Charleston County Library
1999 Barbara H. Gillard, South Carolina State Library
2001 Roberta White, Spartanburg County Library
2003 Lorraine Catoe, Richland County Library
2008 Faith Keller, South Carolina State Library
2011 Janell Eades, South Carolina State Library
2016 Laura Baines, Furman University 
2018 Sarah Ward, TriCounty Technical College
2019 LaKisha Perrin, Richland Library


Intellectual Freedom Award

1983 Pat Scales
1985 Daniel Barron
1985 Melinda Hare
1986 Betty E. Callaham, South Carolina State Library
1988 Eva Roussos
1989 Judith Fitzgerald
1993 Patricia Lightweiss
1995 Robert New
1998 Phil Ritter, Greenville County Library
1999 John Monk
2001 Ida Thompson
2001 Betty Garrison
2002 Carl Stone, Anderson County Library
2003 Pat Scales
2005 J. Rhett Jackson
2007 Michael Giller
2011 Emily Woody
2013 Anne C. Lemieux
2014 Marlon Kimpson
2019 Jonathan Newton

Grassroots Award

1987 Elizabeth Bonniwell
1988 Denise Jacobs
1989 Stephen Escar Smith
1990 Teresa Price Lanford
1991 Gayle Holmes
1992 David Vassar
1993 Wang Ying
1994 Lynne Douglas-Simmons

Distinguished Service/Hall of Fame Award

1983 Estellene P. Walker, South Carolina State Library
1983 J. Mitchell Reames, Francis Marion College
1989 Margaret Haynes, Laurens County
1989 Valerie Howard Stanley, South Carolina State University
2003 Margie E. Herron, South Carolina State Library
2018 Ray McBride, Beaufort County
2019 Faith Line, Anderson County

President's Gavel Award

1989 Betty E. Callaham, South Carolina State Library
1992 David Cohen

Innovation Award

2018 Richland Library Social Awareness Taskforce

Student Award

2019 Emilie J. Hancock

Scholarship for Diversity in Librarianship Recipient

2002 Pamela D. Williams
2007 Annie Young Patrick
2008 Paula Alvarez
2008 Joi Gilliam
2008 K’Lani Green
2009 Elizabeth Harris
2010 Melanie Slan
2010 Parri Wright
2011 Rebecca Kilby
2011 Alex McAllister
2011 Antonio Peterson
2012 Wanda Preister
2012 Carolina Sanders
2012 Tammie Wells
2013 Shamora "Marleigh" Chiles
2013 Wanda Priester
2014 Bettina Thomas
2015 Jasmine Williams
2016 Phoebe Blalock
2016 Tiara Cureton