Daniel Prince
Labs bring Apple products to libraries in Laurens, Clinton
Last Wednesday, the University of South Carolina Union officially opened two new Palmetto College iCarolina Learning Labs in the Clinton and Laurens communities. Both labs are operated by the USC Union – Laurens location.
The two new labs, located inside the Laurens and Clinton branches of the Laurens County Public Library System, join five other labs that opened in Allendale, Lancaster, Sumter, Union and Walterboro in 2022 to provide underserved communities in South Carolina with access to high-speed broadband internet.
The existing Palmetto College iCarolina Learning Lab at USC Union, housed in the Union County Carnegie Library in Union, S.C., serves as a hub for the new locations within branches of the Laurens County Public Library System. The Laurens County Public Library branch has a dedicated room for this space that features ten iMac stations, as well as MacBooks and iPads for use in and around the library. The current Clinton Public Library branch houses a kiosk that holds MacBooks and iPads for people to use in and around the library – serving as a mobile Palmetto College iCarolina Learning Lab. Once the branch moves into its new space, a dedicated lab will house ten iMac stations in addition to the MacBooks and iPads.
Governor Henry McMaster began the program in March 2021 by awarding $6 million of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief funds to the University of South Carolina, who partnered with Benedict College to establish Apple computer labs to serve communities statewide. The existing labs are located at regional USC Palmetto College campuses and are all situated within 15 miles or less of a broadband desert, providing reliable technology and internet access to those communities.
The Learning Lab network launched a free Swift coding certification course starting in the spring 2023 semester to teach Apple’s iOS language to students in the USC system and to community members across the state. Those enrolled in the courses will learn the skills needed to develop apps for iOS, MacOS, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.