Founded in 1748, the Charleston Library Society quickly became the intellectual, cultural, and social heart of the Charleston community. Its board helped establish the Charleston Museum, the College of Charleston, and the South Carolina Historical Society. In 1914, we completed our current home, the lovely Beaux Arts building at 164 King Street. It became a center for the Charleston Renaissance, a place where DuBose Heyward, John Bennett, and Josephine Pinckney met frequently. As the third oldest continuously circulating library in the United States, the Library Society houses a wealth of treasures, including letters from George Washington, James Madison, John Marshall, etc.; the finest collection of Southern colonial newspapers in the country; Heyward's handwritten manuscript for Porgy; folios by Mark Catesby, Audubon, and Buffon; and thousands of other unique books and manuscripts, some dating from the 15th century.

Download our rental agreement in .pdf here.

Main Reading Room

Handsome black and white marble floors compliment the skylight of the two-story ceiling in the Main Reading Room. Its beloved card catalogue, charming book stacks, glass catwalk and palladian windows make this a venue unlike any other in Charleston.

Specifications

• Standing capacity: 250
  
• Library Society staff: 2

$3000 Monday-Thursday
$3500 Friday-Saturday
Based on 6 hours, including set-up and break-down.

Ripley/Ravenel Building - Research Center & Bischoff Lounge

Beyond the Main Reading Room of the Library lie additional, convenient spaces in the Barnwell Annex and the Ripley-Ravenel Building. The Barnwell Annex is a former home and business, and was converted to library use in the 1960s. The Ripley Ravenel Building sits behind the 19th century facade of the Carolina Rifles Armory and contains the Bischoff Lounge and the Research and Writing Center. Perfect for small lectures and conferences that require audio-visual presentations, the center offers a more intimate setting than the Main Reading Room.

Specifications

• Standing capacity: 75
  
• Library Society staff: 2

$500 Monday - Friday
$750 Saturday
Based on 4 hours, including set-up and break-down.

Individual Rooms

Not every event needs thousands of square feet of space! The Library Society offers a handful of individual rooms for smaller meetings, book clubs, and private gatherings.

French Conference Room

Welcoming Huguenot settlers and refugees from Santo Domingo, colonial Charleston quickly established a great French heritage. One of the first purchases made by the Library Society was a French-language copy of Montesquieu's Spirit of the Laws; works by Voltaire and Rousseau quickly followed. The French Room is now home to hundreds of volumes in our French language collection and several antique French maps of the South Carolina coast.

Specifications

• Seating capacity: 10-12
  
• Library Society staff: 1
  

$50 Monday - Friday
$100 Saturday
Based on 2 hours, including set-up and break-down.

Children's Library- "The Rabbit Hole"

Inspired by DuBose Heyward's beloved children's book, The Country Bunny, murals adorn the wall of this charming, old-fashioned library setting. Perfect for tutoring sessions, birthday parties, or relaxed fun.

Specifications

• Standing capacity: 35
  
• Library Society staff: 1

$50 Monday - Friday
$125 Saturday
Based on 2 hours, including set-up and break-down.

Ross Fellows Room

Long used as meeting space for the Society's Board of Trustees, the Ross Fellows Room is a treasure within a treasure. Furnished through bequests from Mary Jane Ross and Josephine Pinckney, the room is home to some of the Library's rarest gems, both literary and visual. Rental of the Ross Fellows Room requires membership in the Library Society's Association of Fellows.

Specifications

• Standing capacity: 15-20
  
• Library Society staff: 1

Full rules and regulations are in rental contract. Please ask about special rates for members and non-profits.

Checkout last fall's Weddings Unveiled magazine launch party at the Library Society here.