LibGuides

Member Resources

Learn about using the library's online catalog Encore, electronic resources through Overdrive, and an introduction to the CLS collection.

Special Collections

Get more information on the Charleston Library Society Special Collections, including its scope, history, and research access.

Native American Resources

This guide provides information on South Carolina's indigenous history. It covers various tribes from before European contact to modern day, and includes items from CLS's collections and additional external resources.

Clionian Debating Society

The Clionian Debating Society was a group of free Black Charlestonians that held formal, intellectual debates from 1847 to 1858. This minute book covers the years 1847 to 1851, and the period from 1851 to 1858 is held by Duke University.

This research guide and the digitization of this volume was supported with funding from SHRAB (the South Carolina State Historical Records Advisory Board).

SC250

CLS Special Collections contains over 180 unique letters and manuscripts from this period, consisting of nearly a thousand pages of material.

The digitization and transcription of these materials were supported by funding from the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission (SC250).

Police and Tax Records

These records date from 1855 to 1894 and provide a glimpse into various facets of Charleston life in the latter half of the nineteenth century, from enslaved experiences and crime and punishment, to social activities and material culture.

The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation provided a grant for the digitization and conservation of these volumes in 2023.