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Did you know that October is Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Month?

The days are getting shorter. The temperature is cooling off. Football is on the TV. We’ve entered the BER months! For families, the BER months mean scouts, fall sports, dance classes, holidays, chili cook-offs, festivals, and family traditions! For library life, October means cardigans, pumpkins, and of course, Halloween!

Do you write books? Have you published a book or are you working on one now? Beaufort County Library is looking for local authors to participate in our second annual local author festival: Pen & Palmetto: Write Local. Read Local. Saturday, January 23, 2027 | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Pen & Palmetto gives local authors a chance to meet readers, connect with fellow authors, and sell their books. It's a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the wonderful and vast creativity of those in the

October is the perfect time to embrace a little fright, and what better way to get into the Halloween spirit than with a scary story? What makes a book scary? Maybe it’s a creepy story that you couldn’t put down, or one you had to put down because it was too scary. Maybe a particular scene stayed with you long after you finished the book, or maybe you read something as a child (or as an adult!) that made you think twice about turning off the lights at bedtime. We asked our li

Reading anxiety can affect readers of all ages. For school-aged readers, many are worried about reading fluently, others are worried about pronouncing words correctly, and some students worry about losing concentration while reading; even simple mistakes, such as skipping a line in the text, can be flustering. Reading aloud compounds these issues. What is that old saying? Practice makes perfect? Practicing reading is not especially fun if you struggle with any type of readi

Every year from September 15 through October 15, communities throughout the United States celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to recognize the histories, cultures, achievements, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. Here in Beaufort County, we have much to celebrate! Hispanic heritage is not simply part of our nation’s story; it is an important and vibrant part of our own community’s story. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanic or Latino r

Libraries have always been a central part of our communities. So, it makes sense for them to become a place where our community can come to connect further with gaming. In fact, the American Library Association has established November as International Games Month. This program has grown since 2007, when a single day was set to encourage people to meet at their local library to play a particular game. Today, it is a program where we see all seven continents participate in a v

Our MakerSpace is a community workshop where anyone can swing by to tinker, build, and try out new tech. It’s all about building a "maker mindset,” moving from just using stuff to actually creating it. Tech, high-end software, and specialized gadgets get expensive. Most of us can't just buy every cool tool we want to try out! That’s why the St. Helena Branch of the Beaufort County Library offers this space as a free, shared resource for everyone. Whether you're working on a f

If you are looking for the latest headlines and in-depth reporting, but you aren’t sure where to start? Look no further than the library! Beaufort County Library provides online access to both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. The best way to access the online subscriptions is to first start on the library’s website. You can find the links for the NYT and WSJ here, or on the Magazine and News page, when you hover over the Borrow button on the menu bar. When borr

The Burton-Wells Recreation Center, a Beaufort County Parks and Recreation facility at 1 Middleton Recreation Drive, is home to the Beaufort County Library’s first book locker. This newest “branch” of the library, launched for public use in January 2025, provides an alternate, off-site pickup location for library cardholders to collect their requested materials, such as books and DVDs. The lockers are open 24/7 and are conveniently located at the covered entrance to the Burto

When was the last time you played? I’m not talking about playing a game, necessarily (although certainly games, whether on a table, outside on a golf course or pickle ball court, or digitally on a computer, can fit the bill). When is the last time you engaged in an activity for its own sake, simply because you enjoyed it? Almost any activity can be considered play, depending upon the circumstances by which one approaches it. In Mark Twain’s famous novel, The Adventures of Tom

In an era of technology where smart devices are basically mandatory and a huge part of social interaction takes place in cyberspace, one tabletop role playing game (or TTRPG) has stood the test of time with its manuals, pen-and-paper sheets, and countless dice: Dungeons and Dragons! You may be familiar with Dungeons and Dragons, or DnD, through numerous pop culture references. It’s been featured in TV shows like The Big Bang Theory and directly inspired the creation of the N

Our 2026 Summer Reading Program has officially come to an end, and what an incredible summer it was! Thank you to all of our amazing readers who participated, especially the thousands of game board finishers! We love that you chose to spend your summer reading (a superior choice, given the heatwave)! Whether you made it to your first 10-day reading milestone (we've all been there with the best of intentions!), attended one of our programs, discovered a new favorite book, or s

Planning a trip to Italy? Interested in ASL? Want to brush up on that language you studied in school, but can’t seem to remember? We’ve got you covered. We are excited to announce that we now offer Transparent Language Online free to all Beaufort County Library cardholders. With courses in 140+ languages, including ASL, ESL, and Indigenous languages, the program has something for everyone. 140+ world languages: Get started with beginner courses, including: Alphabet Course: F

Have you ever finished a book and wondered, "What should I read next?” Or maybe you've spent more time browsing the catalog than actually choosing a book. (Been there!) That's why we’ve added a new service called Recommends. It’s a simple way to discover books you might enjoy. Getting started is easy. Just visit our Recommends page, choose the genres you're interested in, and on the 15th of every month, you'll receive an email filled with reading recommendations selected just

I’ve been thinking a lot about the consequences of decisions made during my career as head of the Beaufort District Collection. One of my greatest professional satisfactions comes from the successful partnership built with the South Carolina Digital Library (SCDL) and its regional hub, the Lowcountry Digital Library (LCDL), over the years. When Kate Boyd (SCDL) called to ask me way back in the early 2000s if the Beaufort County Library had any materials for a pilot project

Have you ever been looking to upgrade your fridge or find a new car, but you weren’t sure where to begin or which review to trust? Look no further than the library! BCL provides access, through Flipster, to both the Consumer Reports monthly magazine and the yearly Buying Guide. What exactly is Consumer Reports? Consumer Reports is a nonprofit organization that focuses on creating a fair marketplace for all. They are widely known for their thorough research and testing

Literacy Together Coalition Unites Beaufort County Around Reading and Literacy

America 250 is upon us, and with it, a great time to increase our knowledge of the events, personalities, and philosophies of theAmerican Revolution. Pick your topic. For histories on the causes and outcomes of the American Revolution, The French and Indian War: Deciding the Fate of North America by Walter R. Borneman and The Scratch of a Pen: 1763 and the Transformation of North America by Colin G. Calloway are worth your time. For biographies and political events, read anyt