Our Story

Once upon a time (1974 to be exact!) a group of local book and library enthusiasts unburied their noses from All the President’s Men, Jaws, and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to organize the Friends of the Aiken County Public Library.

The Friends of the Aiken Library first helped fund the library’s move from the Dibble Memorial Library to Banksia Mansion in 1975 and then again to its current historic location in 1990, embarking on a renovation the same year to improve and enlarge the library.

From 2019-2021, the Friends were instrumental in raising funds to reconfigure the library into an up-to-date, well-designed library befitting the education and cultural needs of modern-day Aiken.

Aiken is fortunate to have a library located in the historic district, close to downtown, and housed in a historically significant building. For more than 50 years, the Friends have supported the library to reach more people with more services and will continue its mission to support a library we are all proud of.