About Us | Greenville (SC) County Library System

The Greenville County Library System traces its beginnings to 1921 when the library consisted of some 500 volumes in a vacant store room on East Coffee Street. Thomas F. Parker, a local businessman and philanthropist who initially garnered community support for this public institution, served as Chairman of the Board. In 1923, Mr. Parker purchased a three-quarter-ton truck, and had it fitted with glass doors, thus introducing the first ever Bookmobile in the South to meet the needs of Greenville County's mill communities.

Today, the Library System has grown to twelve locations. And the Bookmobile still makes weekly stops delivering books and fond memories. The Library remains dedicated to providing free access to materials, experiences, and resources to communities throughout Greenville County.

Our Vision

To be Greenville County's first choice for exploration, discovery, and information.

Our
Mission

to champion literacy

Weekly Baby & Preschool Programs

Early Literacy Tips Weekly Videos

Multi-level Computer Workshops for adults

inspire learning

Resources for language learning & job skills

Experiences with music, dance, crafts, & history

and foster community connection

Rerservable meeting spaces for public meetings

Over 100 monthly visits to community centers, daycares, and schools

FY2017 Statistics

1.62 million people visited GCLS.

We added 1600 items to the collection each week.

3.29 million items were borrowed system-wide.

GCLS offered programs & events at all locations.

70,407 new books and 13,116 audiovisual materials were added to our collection.

Approximately two million website visits occurred at www.greenvillelibrary.org.

More About the Library:

There are 709,517 books and 161,741 audiovisual materials system-wide.

283,056 individuals are registered borrowers.

The system offers 304 public access internet workstations.