This report summarizes the activities of the South Carolina State Library for 1996-1997. Sections include: (1) library governance and mission statement; (2) brief library history; (3) details about the organization and operations of the library, including a description of each of the six departments with a list of employees and their titles, an organizational chart, highlights of the year, a financial statement, and chart illustrating total expenditures; (4) data on library services to state government, interlibrary loans, state documents depository, service to the blind and physically handicapped, and state library loan statistics; (5) a statistical summary of library materials and a description of special collections; (6) library development, including consultation services and grant administration; (7) an update on the South Carolina Library Network; (8) public information services activities; (9) data on volunteer program participation; and (10) a list of recent state library publications. Appendix 1 contains directories with the addresses and contact information for public library board chairmen, public libraries, college and university libraries, and state institutional libraries. Appendix 2 contains library statistics which compare public library data from 1996-1997 with previous years. (AEF)