BCLS Offers New Writers Group as Part of SC New Writers Partnership Project

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The Berkeley County Library System has joined the movement of this new project with new Writers’ Groups beginning in September 2015 at several of their branches. Further resources are in development to help support the SC New Writers Partnership Project but we need help from the community to tell us what you need by completing this survey.

The SC New Writers Partnership Project is in the beginning stages of development spearheaded by the Calhoun County Library. Through this partnership with multiple library systems across the state, resources will be offered to supporting writers and literacy development in their community.

Calhoun County Library director, Kristen Simensen, describes the project as, “An opportunity to look at how skill development and practices in one area can support development and practices in another area. For example, as individuals write, how do their reading practices change? As their technology skills grow, how do their writing skills and practices change? As they become engaged with other writers, how does this affect their reading and writing practices and roles as members of their writing and other communities?”

In addition to helping understand how the library’s customer’s literacy and writing skills grow, the SC New Writers Partnership Project will be an opportunity to support the goals of and strengthen outreach and services to other groups, including:

  • Writers in the community
  • Writers Groups
  • The SC Humanities Council
  • Local Schools
  • Community organizations of virtually any kind

Kristen further explains, “This project speaks to the value not only of what public libraries can do for individual customers and organizations in the community, but also serve a new and critical role. The Library as a Community Anchor is a role that [libraries] increasingly find themselves in through business development and creative opportunities. So while, we have long been positioned to be the important centers of literacy development and community engagement, we now step into this new role of community anchor, impacting individuals who may never step foot in the library.”

The BCLS is happy to be a part of this new project and helping our local writing community.