LibraryVoicesSC

Clair DeLune and South Carolina Blues – Episode 34

Dr. Curtis Rogers interviews Clair DeLune, author of South Carolina Blues. The history of South Carolina blues is a long, deep—and sometimes painful—story. However, it is a narrative with aspects as compelling as the music itself. Geographical differences in America led to variations in the styles of music that developed from African rhythms. The wet, marshy landscape and hot, muggy weather of the Carolina Lowcountry combined to cultivate not only rice, but a Gullah-based style of South Carolina blues. In drier climates, toward the Midlands and the Upstate, the combination of European influences led to the emergence of Piedmont blues, which in turn spawned country music as well as bluegrass. Those same Gullah roots resulted in four major dance crazes, starting with the Charleston.

Links:

• Arcadia Publishing https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467114721
• Blues Moon Radio https://bluesmoonradio.blogspot.com/

Robots4Autism Initiative in South Carolina – Episode 32

Dr. Curtis Rogers talks to Dr. Lisa Raiford, Elizabeth Moore, and Josh Findlay from the South Carolina State Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Services about the Robots4Autism Initiative and other assistive technology programs in South Carolina schools.

Since 2011, the number of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in South Carolina has nearly doubled from 4000 to over 8000 students in 2017. Recognizing the need to provide an evidence based curriculum for students with ASD and the need to support educators, the Office of Special Education Services invested in Milo and through the use of federal funds will pilot the humanoid robot and curriculum in 15 districts for a three year period.

Developed by RoboKind, a company based in Dallas, Milo teaches elementary and middle school age students the understanding and meaning of emotions and expressions, and demonstrates appropriate social behavior and responses. Through interactions with Milo, students learn to tune in on emotions, express empathy, act more appropriately in social situations, self-motivate, and generalize in the population.

Links:

• Robots4Autism Program https://robots4autism.com/
• Special Education Services Office https://ed.sc.gov/districts-schools/special-education-services/
• RoboKind http://robokind.com/
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Virtual Library https://ed.sc.gov/districts-schools/special-education-services/additional-information-and-assistance/asd-virtual-library/

What is E-Rate with Andrew Epting – Episode 31

Dr. Curtis Rogers discusses the importance of E-Rate service to schools and libraries in South Carolina with Andrew Epting, Program Manager and E-Rate Coordinator for South Carolina. The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) is an independent, not-for-profit corporation created in 1997 to collect universal service contributions from telecommunications carriers and administer universal support mechanisms (programs) designed to help communities across the country secure access to affordable telecommunications services. USAC carries out its functions as the administrator of the federal universal service programs and Universal Service Fund (USF) under the oversight of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). USAC administers universal service programs for high cost companies in rural areas, low-income consumers, rural health care providers, and schools and libraries. The universal service Schools and Libraries Program, commonly known as “E-rate,” provides discounts of up to 90 percent to help eligible schools and libraries in the United States obtain affordable telecommunications and internet access. The program is intended to ensure that schools and libraries have access to affordable telecommunications and information services.

Links:

• South Carolina K-12 School Technology Initiative http://sck12techinit.sc.gov
• E-Rate for South Carolina Public Libraries http://guides.statelibrary.sc.gov/e-rate
• South Carolina EdTech Conference October 25-27 2017 http://edtech.scaet.org/
• South Carolina Library Association Conference October 11-13 2017 http://www.scla.org/conference
• USAC Training Opportunity https://www.usac.org/sl/about/outreach/training/2017/fall/charlotte.aspx
• SC E-Rate Consortium Applicant Training: Columbia https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sc-e-rate-consortium-applicant-training-columbia-tickets-38125411131?aff=es2

Columbia World Affairs Council with Dickson Monk – Episode 29

Dr. Curtis Rogers discusses the many programs and projects of the Columbia World Affairs Council with Dickson Monk, Executive Director of the Council.

Founded in 1993, the Columbia World Affairs Council is a private, non-profit 501(c) 3 non-partisan organization in the Midlands region of South Carolina, located in the state capital. The Council serves as the bridge between the local community and its global counterparts. In recent years, South Carolina has experienced rapid growth in international business, politics and culture. Devoted to promoting intercontinental awareness in South Carolina, the Columbia World Affairs Council exists not only for the state’s benefit, but also for its citizens by enhancing their opportunities to engage in projects that are beneficial to the international community.

Links:

• Columbia World Affairs Council - http://www.columbiaworldaffairs.org
• Academic World Quest - http://www.columbiaworldaffairs.org/awq2017.html
• Sister Cities Program - http://www.columbiaworldaffairs.org/sister-cities.html
• ALA Sister Libraries Program - https://sites.google.com/site/sisterlibraries/

Marvin Lare and Champions of Civil and Human Rights in South Carolina – Episode 28

Marvin Lare and Champions of Civil and Human Rights in South Carolina – Episode 28

Dr. Curtis Rogers discusses Volume 1, “Dawn of the Movement Era, 1955-1967” of Champions of Civil and Human Rights in South Carolina with editor, Marvin Lare. Rev. Lare is a retired minister of the United Methodist Church and a veteran administrator of public service projects for the South Carolina Department of Social Services and Community Care, Inc., an interfaith community service organization. His early ministry in the inner city of Los Angeles led him to champion equity and justice issues. He specialized in community, human, and economic development, and participated in many civil rights demonstrations, including the Selma to Montgomery march, and he attended the funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr., in Atlanta.

Champions of Civil and Human Rights in South Carolina is a five-volume anthology spanning the decades from 1930 to 1980 with oral history interviews of key activists and leaders of the civil rights movement in South Carolina. Editor Marvin Ira Lare introduces more than one hundred civil rights leaders from South Carolina who tell their own stories in their own words to reveal and chronicle a massive revolution in American society in a deeply personal and gripping way. This ambitious project of the University of South Carolina's Institute for Public Service and Policy Research was funded in part by the South Carolina Bar Foundation, the Southern Bell Corporation, and South Carolina Humanities.

Link: USC Press https://www.sc.edu/uscpress/books/2016/7724.html