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Rededication of Elizabeth S. Randolph Community Room
February 1, 2018
On Sunday, February 18, at Beatties Ford Regional Library, more than 125 people turned out for the rededication of the Elizabeth S. Randolph Community Room. Congresswoman Alma Adams, State Senator Joyce Waddell, City Councilman Justin Harlow and School Board Members Thelma Byers Bailey were present, along with many civic leaders including Thereasea Elder. Library Trustee Rob Harrington represented the Library Board.
After a welcome from Branch Manager Alecia Williams and Director of Libraries David Singleton, Reverend Ricky Woods of First Baptist Church West delivered the invocation. Two local teens who use the Library sang “I Rise Up.”
In her remarks, Congresswoman Adams reflected on the role of African American women and some of the struggles that Randolph faced during her lifetime.
Sheila Bumgarner of the Library's Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room provided background on An African American Album, the landmark photographic history edited by Randolph, which the Library published in 1992. Framed photographs from the book were displayed throughout the room.
Doris Williams, President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Alpha Lambda Omega Chapter, provided remarks on Ms. Randolph’s role in the sorority and in the greater community, celebrating many of the firsts that Randolph accomplished.
In the afternoon's biggest surprise, a local woman who is over 100 years old stood up and shared her memories of Randolph. They were born just a few months apart in 1917.
City Councilman Justin Harlow read a proclamation from the City of Charlotte celebrating Randolph.
Finally, Congresswoman Adams and Rob Harrington unveiled a new Community Room sign honoring Randolph, to great applause.
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Fun and Prizes this Summer with Summer Break
June 12, 2023
Summer Break starts June 1st and ends July 31st. Register for the challenge online by visiting cmlibrary.beanstack.org or downloading the app, Beanstack Tracker. Your account allows you to track reading time and learning activities to collect virtual badges. Even tracking Queen Charlotte can be logged into Beanstack as an activity. There is fun and incentives for everyone this summer!
For our youngest community members there is an updated Bingo challenge for Wee Readers (age 0-4). Track reading and activities using the app or a bingo card picked up at any branch! Wee Readers who complete the challenge by completing the entire bingo board get to choose a book.
This year there are some fantastic prizes for participating and completing Summer Break thanks to our sponsors: Wendy’s, Charlotte Football Club, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation. Just for registering participants receive a Wendy’s Frosty Jr. Coupon and a Charlotte Football Club sticker!
New this year are mid-level prizes! When a participant earns 600 points, they’re eligible for a Charlotte Football Club Sports Flyer (ages 5-17) or a magnetic bookmark (ages 18+).
Completing the challenge (earning 1200 points), children and teen participants can choose between a book or water bottle. Adults can choose between a water bottle, drawstring bag, or a notebook with a pen. All prizes are available while supplies last.
Saving the best for last! There are two bonus prizes for participants and readers ages 5 to 17! A drawing for a 4-pack of tickets to a Charlotte Football Club game, with one 4-pack per branch! The second bonus prize is for the top 20 readers of Summer Break, they will be given the opportunity to tour the Charlotte Football Club stadium.
Sign up today and start logging your reading and activities to join in on the fun and help us reach our community reading goal of 10 million minutes!
Exciting Programs
Though our Summer Break 2023 program can be completed entirely online, our libraries are hosting some wonderful programs this summer. Check out these upcoming programs.
Comments? Questions?
Are you having problems with the Summer Break 2023 website or your account? Do you have questions about the program? Feel free to call your local branch or email us at [email protected] for help or feedback.
The 2023 Summer Break program is brought to you by Charlotte Mecklenburg Library with additional support from Wendy’s, Charlotte Football Club and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation.
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Commemoration of Emancipation by African Americans in North Carolina, 1865-1920
June 16, 2023
Before there was Juneteenth, there was Emancipation Day: January 1st, 1863, the day the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. The only public celebrations on the first Emancipation Day took place in Northern cities, where persons in flight from slavery gathered to watch for midnight on New Year’s Eve, 1862. With the coming of January 1st, the terms of the Emancipation Proclamation came into effect, and escaped slaves would be delivered from the threat of arrest and transportation to a slave state. The Proclamation stripped slave-owners in rebel states, at least, of the right to reclaim fugitives as stolen property.
On the second anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation – January 1, 1865 – the Civil War was still being fought and Abraham Lincoln was alive and well in the White House. Black people in North Carolina knew better than to celebrate a Proclamation by the Commander in Chief of the opposing side, but New Bern, NC, offered different circumstances. Federal forces occupied the town and they – the Union soldiers – organized and oversaw a celebration of the anniversary that included local freedmen.
The first peacetime celebration of emancipation in North Carolina that was led by the freedmen themselves took place in Wilmington in January of 1866.
The previous month had seen two momentous changes regarding slavery and the law. On December 5th, 1865, the thirteenth amendment had been ratified by enough states to be added to the Constitution of the United States. It made the abolition of slavery permanent throughout the nation. Three weeks later, the voters of North Carolina added an amendment to the state constitution abolishing slavery in the state. These actions closed the door to the possibility of undoing the Emancipation Proclamation, either at the federal or the state level.
On Emancipation Day, 1866, freedmen and freedwomen got their first chance to express their relief at the end of the war and their hope for building new lives after enslavement.
“We understand that a grand celebration by the colored population is to take place on the first of January,” said an editorial in the Wilmington Herald. Indeed, it was. When Emancipation Day came, the Black community of Wilmington turned out, and people from the surrounding rural areas came in to join them.
The rejoicing crowd staged a procession through the streets. They were led by a band and carried banners to show what they believed in: “The Emancipation Proclamation: This We Celebrate,” “Abraham Lincoln, Our Martyred President,” “and “Equal Justice.” This last one expressed the marchers’ demand for recognition of themselves as full citizens of the United States. The 14th Amendment would promise just that, and Congress enacted it later that year.
The Wilmington celebration was built on the model that was pioneered in New Bern and adopted by Black communities in other North Carolina cities: a parade led by a band, an excited crowd of all ages, and speeches. These elements of the celebration would appear every year in towns throughout the state. Enthusiasm for the celebration of Emancipation Day did not wane until the 1920s. By then, according to A History of African Americans in North Carolina by Jeffrey Crow, “younger Blacks began to question the continued commemoration of Emancipation Day.
In Texas, however, the local holiday of “Juneteenth” persisted. It kept alive the idea of a day to celebrate emancipation and became a national holiday in 2021.
- Written by Tom Cole, Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room
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PressReader
Summary
Enjoy digital access to hundreds of U.S. and international newspapers, plus the magazine, The Economist. Read in your browser or download the free PressReader app.
Details
Enjoy digital access to hundreds of U.S. and international newspapers, plus the magazine, The Economist. Read in your browser or download the free PressReader app. The collection includes domestic and international newspapers in English as well as newspapers in approximately 60 different languages plus the ability to translate many titles in up to 20 different languages. Popular newspaper choices include USA Today, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, Le Figaro, La Razon, Der Tagesspiegel, and China Daily. The Economist has a 7-day checkout period.
Getting Started
Customers only need a library card in order to access the newspapers and The Economist available through PressReader. Newspapers and The Economist can be accessed from a desktop or mobile device. An app is available for iOs and Android devices.
Daily issues are available immediately, back issues vary by title from a few days to a few weeks.
Access the collection
- Click the “Access Now” button below or Download the PressReader app for mobile devices (iOS app or Android app).
- Select “Sign In” found in the upper right-hand corner.
- Select Library or Group.
- Search “Charlotte” and select Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.
- Enter your library card number or One Access number.
- You will receive complimentary access for 30 days. Don't be concerned if you see a message stating the number of hours and days you have left. Your time will reset anytime your provide your library card number.
An account is not needed to access PressReader content. However, a free account will allow you to read offline, create collections, save articles, and more.
Use the latest versions of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, or Safari. PressReader does not support Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Help?
Access the help site here. How to videos on YouTube.
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Newspapers
Health Reference Soucebooks (Omnigraphics)
Summary
Straightforward and authoritative e-books on consumer health topics. Topics include: Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic Violence, Mental Health Disorders, and Stress-Related Disorders. This collection is on the Biblioboard Platform and was purchased by NC LIVE using LSTA grant funds*.
Details
Titles in the Health Reference collection can also be accessed with the Biblioboard mobile app.
App Name: Biblioboard Library
- Search for "Biblioboard Library" in your app store. Download.
- Login with your Biblioboard account. If you don't have an account, you must create an account first using a desktop coming. Access Biblioboard from the Library's Research and Learn page and create a personal account. An account will also allow you to use customization features like saving books as favorites, adding notes or comments and bookmarks.
*This project/program/service is made possible by funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (IMLS grant number LS-250229-OLS-21).
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E-Books
Student Success Center
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That's a Wrap for Summer Break 2023!
August 1, 2023
Summer Break lasted from June 1st to July 31st, with support from Wendy’s, Charlotte Football Club, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation, and, of course, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.
We read, learned, and explored the summer away. The last 8 weeks were filled with incredible displays, lots of badges, photos with Queen Charlotte, plenty of points earned and activities completed, and, of course, lots and lots of reading! In fact, we ended up with 9,129,360 total minutes read system-wide. Wow!
Now that Summer Break is at its end, don’t forget to pick up your prizes, and keep an eye out for the drawing for a 4-pack of tickets to a Charlotte Football Club game (with one 4-pack per branch, ages 5-17)! The top 20 readers of Summer Break will also be given the opportunity to tour the Charlotte Football Club stadium (ages 5-17)!
Have any thoughts to share? You can always talk to the staff at your local branch, or email us at [email protected].
We hope you had a wonderful summer, and thanks for joining us this Summer Break!
The 2023 Summer Break program is brought to you by Charlotte Mecklenburg Library with additional support from Wendy’s, Charlotte Football Club and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation.
Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room
By Appointment Only
Charlotte, NC 28213
United States
Hours:
Sunday Closed
Monday 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Saturday Closed
After Hours Book Drop | Available
The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room is temporarily open for phone/virtual reference and by appointment only for on-site visits.
What We Offer
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