The Charleston Library Society will celebrate its 274th Annual Meeting in 2022! Mark your calendars for this special This is a Zoom event for members only, and requires an RSVP. Along with a ‘year review’ of the Library, CLS will be unveiling the generous donation of the J.R. Poinsett portrait, which was recently conserved. Leading the presentation of the portrait will be Alex Moore, impressive historian and dear friend to the Library Society.

We are thrilled to welcome author & civil rights lawyer Armand Derfner into our Main Reading Room for a night of discussion on his book, "Justice Deferred: Race and the Supreme Court" with Deborah K. Kennard, successful attorney and businesswoman.

CLS is honored to welcome Belgian Ambassador Jean-Arthur Régibeau to “Charleston’s living room” for the second installation of our new program, The R.L. Walker International Relations & Diplomacy Series, where he will discuss his career as an ambassador and Belgium's role on the world stage.

Please join us in welcoming Emmanuel Ducamp, lauded art historian, attorney, and author, for a discussion on garden design from Western Europe to Imperial Russia. Ducamp will discuss how Western sources were copied in Russia, often to find themselves adapted and reinterpreted according to local customs, climate necessities, or distinctive taste, forming altogether a new tradition which has been preserved to this day.

The Library Society hosts Xavier F. Salomon to discuss his experience as the Frick Collection’s Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator. For this program, Salomon will focus on artist Rosalba Carriera (1673-1757), who was the most celebrated woman artist in eighteenth-century Europe.

Join us for our first installment of our Lite Lunch Series! For this premiere event, we are delighted to welcome Melissa Biggs Bradley, renowned travel entrepreneur and founder of Indagare, a membership-based luxury travel company that provides rich editorial content combined with the services of a boutique, in-house travel agency. Bradley will discuss what responsible […]

CLS is honored to welcome Lt. General Ben Hodges, former commanding general of the U.S. Army Europe, and KzS. Colonel Ivo Schneider of the German Navy for the second installment of our Ambassador R. L. Walker International Relations & Diplomacy Series! The powerful duo will discuss NATO and the seismic challenges it faces today. Discover […]

Please join us for our New Member's Mingle! Every second Monday of the month, we host our newest members of the CLS family. The evening will include an orientation of the library and informational tour with Q & A about your membership benefits. RSVP required to attend.

Join us in welcoming beloved author Virginia Beach for a book launch celebration of her newest piece of work, American Landmark: Charles Duell and the Rebirth of Middleton Place, hosted by the Middleton Place Foundation. When Beach undertook writing the history of the Middleton Place Foundation, she began by tracing the early life of Middleton descendant […]

Please join us for an enthralling program with Michael Murphy, Founding Principal and Executive Director of MASS (Model of Architecture Serving Society) Design Group, with interlocutor Braden Bergan, producer of "60 Minutes". Murphy will discuss the ways architecture can help improve function and social justice as he explains his nonprofit's, MASS, belief - “that architecture […]

The Library Society is delighted to welcome back the Yale Alley Cats, the incredibly talented, world-renowned, all-male a cappella singing group from Yale University, making music around the world since their founding back in 1943. The group will perform classic and contemporary songs, all just with the power of their impressive voices. This event is free […]

Calling all history buffs! The Library Society is thrilled to host author Bruce Ragsdale for an evening lecture on his new book, "Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of Slavery". A fresh, original look at George Washington as an innovative land manager whose singular passion for farming would unexpectedly lead him to reject slavery.

The Library Society is thrilled to host author Michael A. Almond for a discussion of his highly anticipated debut novel, The Tannery, a story that combines violent crime, Southern history, and pressing social issues into a gripping novel that is sure to enthrall its reader. Tickets are $10 for CLS members and $15 for nonmembers. […]

The ZD Experience present the P.U.R.E. Concert Series (Peace, Unity, & Revival through Entertainment) feat. Mayor John Tecklenburg and Friends The ZD Experience & The Charleston Library Society present the P.U.R.E. Concert Series (Peace, Unity, & Revival through Entertainment) featuring Mayor John Tecklenburg and Friends.Enjoy an evening of Jazz, Blues, and Rock & Roll by […]