DATE: 4/13/07

WRITER/CONTACT: Pam Bryant, Director of Marketing, (803) 553-7705; pbryant@clemson.edu

Clemson establishes library for incarcerated youth

AIKEN -- Clemson University officials will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, April 16, at 10:30 a.m. at Camp Long , 82 Wire Road in Aiken, to celebrate the grand opening of a new library for juveniles assigned to the W.W. Long Youth Development Center (YDC).

The YDC, an alternative placement facility for non-violent juvenile offenders serving short-term sentences, is a partnership program of the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Clemson’s Youth Learning Institute (YLI) which operates the site. The new library is a result of a request for site enhancements solicited from students last year.

Dr. John Kelly, vice president of Clemson Public Service Activities, said, “The value of a library in a learning environment is beyond just the idea of holding books. It is a place for exchanging thoughts and ideas to enrich and support the learning experience.”

And beyond holding books, students at the new library use technology to get plugged in to learning. A community impact grant, awarded to the library by Carolina First Bank, funds Literacy Through Technology. The program allows students to listen to downloaded recordings of books on MP3 players while reading along in the printed version. Research shows the technique is effective for enhancing reading skills.

Jorge Calzadilla, Clemson YLI executive director said, “Benjamin Franklin once said, ‘An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.’ When students at the YDC made a special request for a library at Camp Long , Clemson responded. This is not just an investment in knowledge, but in the lives of deserving young people.”

Clemson University and S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice officials will be joined at the event by YDC students, elected officials, representatives of local businesses, public service agencies, and local community organizations. Anyone interested in attending should contact Penny Gray at (803) 649-9512.

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