Charleston Library Society

The Charleston Library Society is a unique treasure of Charleston. As a tourist it does not offer as many benefits as a local, but stepping inside to escape the heat and enjoy the architecture and history of this cool building is a must.
As a local, joining the society isn’t too expensive and there are a lot of benefits. Discounts on concerts, free movie showings, free or discounted talks, and cocktail hour are just a few. I have tried looking up primary sources here and have had some luck, but your subject material really needs to be specific to South Carolina since that is what the library specializes in.

Some of the most beautiful steps around, and a nice cause.

Pros: The building is beautiful and the location is ideal. A nice place for events.
Cons: Not the best place to use as an actual library. Studying and reading in this library can be challenging– many of the staff members carry loud conversations while they are working. In addition, studying in the main room can be difficult because more often than not most of the tables are unavailable. Unfortunately, purchasing a membership to gain access to the members-​only area doesn’t improve the situation. The library recently enacted a policy that forbids their members from bringing bags into the members area. Imagine trying to carry books, a laptop, charger, notebooks, highlighters pens, etc without the use of a backpack. Not only is it difficult but it is humiliating to be treated in this manner.

Marvelous historic building. This is the third oldest subscription library in the United States. The Library offers the space for many events and I attended a gallery opening there as part of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival. The Library has been located at many locations, but moved to the 164 King Street location in 1914.