Looking for a romance novel with a bit of suspense? That’s easy. The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has books that fit the bill in our Library catalog. Type in "romantic suspense" as a search in the Library catalog and nearly 3,500 matches will appear!

Don’t be fooled by the occasional book cover with someone brandishing a handgun because you’re in the right place. These books are more than traditional romance novels with couples dealing with domestic hardships and bliss.   

Romantic suspense is fiction, defined by the Romance Writers of America, where “…suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute an integral part of the plot.” With a love stories as the basis, these novels may feature many additional themes. The most prolific authors in the genre include authors such as Heather Graham, Kat Martin, Nora Roberts and B.J. Daniels.

For all fans, the famous Harlequin brand of romance books steps into this genre too with its Harlequin Romantic Suspense series. The Library owns more than 100 titles from this brand, mostly e-books. Library customers can find titles available in multiple formats to enjoy, but e-books are most prominent.

Find a title to read from our list of New Romantic Suspense Fiction here.

If you're hungry for poetry, bring your appetite to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Main  Library for 12:15 at Main: Poetry Exploration on Wednesday, March 4, 2020. This meetup is the first in a series of monthly to bi-monthly meetings where poets of all levels can  create or recite poetry at lunchtime. Listening ears are welcome to participate as well.

 

The 12:15 at Main program will run until Main Library closes its doors for renovation in early 2021. Meetings, held the first and third Wednesday of each month, will vary in topics topics based on presenters. Attendees will also enjoy short video screenings and new discussion prompts.

The goal of the program is to build an anthology for continuing attendees so that they have a variety of personal work that spans different topics and styles. 12:15 at Main: Poetry Exploration is a program for everyone and there is no skill requirement.

Patrons who know little about poetry will have the opportunity to learn new styles and writing mechanisms along the way. To see the complete schedule of 12:15 at Main: Poetry Exploration, click here.

For more information about 12:15 at Main: Poetry Exploration, please contact  Rob Smith at [email protected].

Written by: Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Historian-in-Residence, Dr. Tom Hanchett.

For decades in Charlotte, Attorney J. Charles Jones was a buoyant, familiar community presence on the city’s mostly African American west side. History-seekers and city leaders often invited him to speak about his role in Charlotte’s 1960 sit-ins. He advocated enthusiastically for civic projects and strove to help neighbors join together for change. His cheery greeting, “Gracious good day!” was usually followed by reference to The Elders, the previous generations who had gotten us here and demanded that we keep moving forward. He wanted you to know the Civil Rights history that his generation had made — so that you would pick up the torch, in turn, and make history yourself.

Charles Jones’ role in the Civil Rights movement ran deeper and reached even further than his listeners often realized. Not only did he co-lead Charlotte’s successful 1960s sit-ins, the largest such action in the early days of that student movement, he went on to:

• Take part in the meetings in 1960s that created the nationally important Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee
• Do jail-time in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on SNCC’s behalf in 1961 – a “jail, no bail” protest that foreshadowed Rev. Martin Luther King’s later stay in the Birmingham jail.
• Join the 1961 Freedom Ride in Mississippi and again go to prison at the legendarily harsh Parchman Farm Penitentiary
• Take part in tumultuous SNCC campaigns for voting rights in McComb, Mississippi (1961) and Albany, Georgia (1961 – 62) – where he helped launch the SNCC Freedom Singers with Bernice Johnson Reagon and others.
• Initiate a high-profile 1966 march around Washington DC’s beltway that is credited with opening housing to all in the DC area.

In the late 1960s he returned to Charlotte, earned a law degree and began a career as Attorney J. Charles Jones, spending half a century representing mostly poor, mostly African American clients.

When Jones passed away at the end of 2019, the national media took notice. This essay pulls together those sources along with other essays and research materials that give a sense of his work and his personality. It starts with the funeral program distributed to mourners at the Chapel on the campus of Johnson C. Smith University on January 4, 2020. Then come links to obituaries and profiles in national and local news media. Finally, there are links to oral histories and photo collections in Charlotte and elsewhere. This list is by no means complete, but rather a starting point for those interested in Jones and his legacy.

Neil Genzlinger, “J. Charles Jones, Civil Rights Activist, Is Dead at 82,” New York Times, January 10, 2020.



Matt Schudel, “J. Charles Jones, Civil Rights Activist Who Led Protest Walk Around Beltway, Dies at 82,” Washington Post, January 18, 2020.

“Life Well-Lived: J. Charles Jones -- American Civil Rights Leader Dies at 82,” NBC Today Show, January 19, 2020.  

“Johnson C. Smith University Remembers J. Charles Jones,” Happenings page, JCSU website.  

“Interview with J. Charles Jones,” interviewer Kara Miles, June 16, 1993, Duke University Libraries. 

“Interview with J. Charles Jones,” interviewer Debbie Howard, May 18, 2005, Special Collections, J. Murrey Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte.

“Oral Histories with J. Charles Jones and Charles Sherrod,” June 23, 2005, Miami University of Ohio.  

Corey Inscoe, “Meet the Man Who Led Charlotte’s Lunch-Counter Sit-Ins and Went to Jail with Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Charlotte Observer, February 07, 2017.

David Aaron Moore, “Stumbling Across a Hero,” Charlotte Magazine, January 2, 2011. 

Frye Gaillard, “Days of Hope and Courage: Reunion Will Celebrate Local Civil Rights Sit-Ins,” Creative Loafing, January 29, 2003. 

A video interview with Jones about the Charlotte Sit-ins is part of the permanent exhibition Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers at Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte.

The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library holds photographs and other materials related to Jones. This Facebook post from February 9, 2020, gives a glimpse.

--

The main photo on this blog is by Diedra Laird/The Charlotte Observer (2016).

The only thing that separates Southwest Middle School and Steele Creek Library is a narrow grass median. Though the two are near in proximity, they have never been relationally close. Inspired to change that dynamic and build a closer relationship with students at Southwest Middle, Steele Creek Librarian Sarah Story began attending open houses at Southwest Middle to make the Library more visible to students and parents. 

In August, Steele Creek and Outreach staff teamed up to attend three open houses at Southwest Middle where they were able to connect with students stopping by to pick up their schedules and meet their teachers.  

“This was a great way to increase Library visibility in the school community, advertise Teen programs and meet parents who we don’t often see during the school year,” Story said. 



In December 2019, another Librarian, Kara Hunter,joined Story on outreach visits to Southwest Middle’s sixth grade classes. 



“Kara and I visited almost every 6th grade class to show them online resources that they could use for upcoming research projects,” Story said. “In total, we visited 11 classes, 210 students and 13 teachers,” she added. 

Their visit resulted in students excitedly running up to Story when they noticed her in the Library just a few days later. They told her about the resources they remembered, how they used CultureGrams that day for a class assignment and introduced a new group of students to staff and what the Library has to offer. 

Story was also inspired to create positive change at Southwest Middle where she’d heard stories of vandalism, fights and noise occurring on campus. Story decided to create bi-weekly afterschool Teen programs where students could safely play board games, participate in cooking challenges, take Library tours, enjoy Lunch and Learn topics and more. Eventually, behavioral incidents at the school declined, prompting the school to get involved with the planning of afterschool programs. 

“We needed more involvement from the school, and I wanted it to be a positive relationship, not just passing on disciplinary requests,” Story said. “So, I started sending emails trying to get to know school staff and offering outreach ideas,” she added. 



Story believes anyone can be a hero and help teens through creative programming. She is especially grateful of the support from the Steele Creek staff and is excited about the positive progress they have made with Southwest Middle. 



 “Everyone has their own unique ways to Be A Hero (a Library culture principle) for these kids, whether it’s implementing new program ideas, helping them find a book or offering them a smile after a long day at school,” Story said. “Our relationship with Southwest Middle is still growing and evolving, requiring consistent and frequent communication with administration and teachers about ways we can support each other. It will probably always be a work in progress and creative and innovative approaches are the best way to move forward and continually improve.” 

Did you know that Charlotte Mecklenburg Library offers customers FREE access to lynda's expansive library of instructional videos?

Valued at more than $300 a year, this benefit is yours FREE just by logging in with your library card number or ONE Access account number and password.

Turn on. Log in. Get smart.

For 20 years, lynda.com has helped students, leaders, IT and design pros, project managers – anyone in any role – develop software, creative and business skills.

Become an expert in that thing you've always wanted to know more about by creating your own tutorial playlists or browsing lynda.com's "Learning Paths"—bundled tutorials designed to provide a crash course for a particular topic.

Lynda.com courses are taught by industry professionals with real-world experience and can be filtered by category, length, skill level and more to provide a personalized, reliable learning experience. Lynda.com also offers courses in five languages!

Learning on lynda.com can happen anywhere with apps for your computer, mobile device and TV, featuring enhanced navigation and faster streaming. And now that lynda.com is owned by LinkedIn, you can easily post the training you complete to your profile.

So, what's available with lynda.com?

More than 3,000 courses (and more than 130,000 videos) in popular fields like web design, web development, IT, education/instruction, media production and business. Most tutorials last several hours but are broken into multiple chapters.

• Photography: how to shoot photos that tell a story, choose the right gear, edit photos and more.
• Software: Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint; Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and more.
• Web design: Web graphics, Interactive Design, Prototyping and more.
• Social media and web publishing tools like Facebook, Twitter and Wordpress.
• Business and career skills: productivity, marketing, time management and more.
• Job Search Tools: Resume design, Searching for Positions, Working with Recruiters and more.

Course offerings on lynda.com are always being updated, so check back often for even more learning opportunities.

Don't know where to start?

Those who aren't sure what they need can browse curated playlists to get started in any subject. These playlists are like a mix tape—they're a great way to discover new topics you never knew you wanted to learn.

You can access lynda.com using your Charlotte Mecklenburg Library card or ONE Access account (CMS student or staff ID number). If you don't have a library card yet, you can apply below.

If you do have a library card, start using lynda.com today! Once you are logged in, the next step is to create a personalized account by entering a name and email address. This account can help manage your course history, playlists, bookmarks and Certificates of Completion.

What are you waiting for?

Take a closer look at lynda.com today and discover a new skill you'd like to learn—on your time!

Another summer has flown by. School supply shopping has begun, vacations are winding down and another Summer Break program is about to end.  

Remember that Saturday, August 10 is the last day that you can enter reading time or activities in your log. Participants will have until Saturday, August 17 to pick up their milestone incentives – while supplies last. As a reminder, the incentives are as follows:  

• Wendy’s Jr. Frosty Coupons (earned at Sign-up)  

• Fine Waiver cards (earned at Sign-up, 10 hours, 15 hours, and 20 hours of reading)  

• Summer Break Completion incentive (Babies/children: a book; Teens: choice of a book or a Library drawstring bag; Adults: a Library magnet or notebook.)

Some participants may noticed they have earned a “Giving Makes the World Go Round" badge. Participants earn this badge when they reach 25 hours of reading. Every summer, the library gives back to the community by donating books to a local organization in need. This year’s recipient will be Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is happy to donate to CMS and we are thankful the school system will accept the contributions.   

Thank you for participating in Summer Break! We hope you’ve had fun reading and learning all summer long. We’ll see you again next summer!!   

Children's Services Leader, Jesse Isley, made a guest appearance on WCNC's Charlotte Today on Monday, August 5, 2019 and shared six back-to-school titles for kids, teens and adults. 

Click here to search titles

Children’s picture books:

Your First Day of Circus School by Tara Lazar, illustrated by Melissa Crowton

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages! It's the most amazing day on earth: the first day of school! It can be a daunting prospect, but don't worry - your big brother can show you the ropes. Join a nervous boy and his enthusiastic older brother as they navigate the highs and lows of a first day at school . . . except this school is a big top, and the teacher is named Miss Stupendous, and the cafeteria can be a zoo, literally! It turns out, school isn't so scary when you can let off steam during recess (on a steam train) and walk on stilts to all of your classes. With a bit of help from family and some new friends, you'll make it to the top of the class in no time! This charming take on school readiness will delight new school-goers and take a bit of the fear out of those first-day jitters.

Back to School with Bigfoot by Samantha Berger and Martha Brockenbrough

The school year is about to start, and Bigfoot is worried about all the things that could go wrong--but he also remembers that all his friends will be there.

Youth fiction:

Mia Mayhem vs. the Super Bully by Kara West

Mia is excited about her first superspeed training class, but a bully on her relay team leads her to lose her shadow and, worse, to snap at her friends.

Teen fiction:

Panic by Lauren Oliver

In the poor town of Carp, New York, a group of teens enters a high-stakes game that involves a series of secretive, possibly deadly challenges throughout the summer, with the winner receiving more than $50,000--enough money to start a new life.

Adult fiction:

Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

A darkly funny coming-of-age novel and a richly plotted suspense tale told through the distinctive voice of its heroine, Blue van Meer. After a childhood moving from one academic outpost to another with her father (a man prone to aphorisms and meteoric affairs), Blue is clever, deadpan, and possessed of a vast lexicon of literary, political, philosophical, and scientific knowledge--and is quite the cinéaste to boot. In her final year of high school at the élite (and unusual) St. Gallway School in Stockton, North Carolina, Blue falls in with a charismatic group of friends and their captivating teacher, Hannah Schneider. But when the drowning of one of Hannah's friends and the shocking death of Hannah herself lead to a confluence of mysteries, Blue is left to make sense of it all with only her gimlet-eyed instincts and cultural references to guide--or misguide—her.

From radios in cars and TVs in restaurants comes the sound of baseball – the buzz of the crowd, the call of a vendor, the crack of the bat. In the 300 block of South Graham St., the wall of Truist Field (formerly BB&T BallPark) runs right along the sidewalk. Four images are painted on it in commemoration of past Charlotte baseball teams and fields.



Latta Park

A playing area for baseball was cleared in Dilworth, Charlotte’s first suburb.

The Charlotte Baseball Club challenged amateur clubs from other cities to games in Charlotte and accepted challenges from other towns. The team’s poor performance one year prompted this sardonic boast in the May 13, 1892 Observer: “There are people who say it can beat the Pineville nine, that is, if Pineville has a nine.”

Wearn Field/Hayman Park

The Wearn name commemorates a whole family. Joseph Henry Wearn and Company were in the lumber business. Members of the family formed “the Wearn Nine” as an amateur team. J. H. Wearn (1861-1936) became

president of the first professional team in Charlotte and the field was named after him. The league it belonged to folded in 1917.

“Hayman” refers to Felix Hayman, the son of German-Jewish immigrants who, like his father, was a butcher (the family name was sometimes listed without the first “A,” indicating that the first syllable was pronounced with a long “I” sound). He restarted minor-league baseball in Charlotte by organizing the team for the South Atlantic, or “Sally,” League in 1919. Years after his death in 1932, people told stories about his baseball sense, his business flair and his charity work. The story goes that Felix once traded a turkey from his butcher shop for a player (Charlotte Observer, February 1, 1931, Sec.1, p.8).

 

Clark Griffith Park/Jim Crockett Memorial Park

In 1941, the Charlotte Hornets were acquired by Clark Griffith, owner of the Washington Senators, and began to play in a new stadium on 400 Magnolia Ave. in Dilworth. The Senators became the Twins and they pulled their minor league team out of Charlotte in 1972.

Charlotte went three seasons without a professional baseball team until the Baltimore Orioles relocated their AA farm team here in 1976. The stadium changed its name following the death of Jim Crockett, who had brought the team to Charlotte. His daughter, Frances Crockett, ran the team until 1987, seeing it through a fire that destroyed the wooden stadium in March of 1985. The Crocketts sold the team in 1987, which changed its name to the Charlotte Knights and moved to play in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

Buster Sloan served as groundskeeper at Griffith Park from its opening until his death in 1978. Sloan and family lived in an apartment under the bleachers. Fans could smell the chicken frying on their stove (Charlotte Observer, June 27, 1978).

Knights Stadium

Beginning in 1990, the Charlotte Knights began play in Knights Stadium in Fort Mill. In 1997, the team began its association with the Chicago White Sox and moved up to AAA affiliation, which remained the case to the end of their time in Fort Mill and into the uptown era as well.

Other Teams

Up to 1976, all these teams were called the “Charlotte Hornets,” and up to 1954, they fielded white players only. African American baseball players organized their own teams as early as 1876. (Charlotte Observer, July 2, 1876, p.4) The “Brown Hornets” shared Griffith Park with the other Hornets. Textile mill workers also organized their own baseball teams and leagues. The story of their so-called “Outlaw” League is told in an online exhibit of materials from the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Want to learn more about baseball in North Carolina? The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room has the Hank Utley Baseball Collection. In this collection you will find interesting documents and artifacts that were used in Utley’s book about the notorious “Outlaw” baseball league that formed in the late 1930s. There are newspaper clippings, interviews, biographies, statistics and photographs/negatives.

Midwood Elementary School was founded in 1934 and was located on 1817 Central Ave. in Charlotte, North Carolina. Midwood Elementary reached its prime years during the 1950s with 1,000 students enrolled. Several decades later in 1983, the school began to fall into disrepair and closed. After a 1985 arson fire at Albemarle Elementary, seventy workers brought Midwood Elementary back up to code in a speedy three days so children could attend a relatively-local school.

 

                               Midwood Elementary School, 1935

               Courtesy of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room

Midwood Elementary School, 2019

Courtesy of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmark Commission

By the early 2000s, Midwood Elementary was an alternative school for students who dropped out of traditional schools for academic or personal reasons. Another part of the building served as a hot lunch program for the elderly and was also home to Teenage Age Parents Services (TAPS), a group dedicated to keeping pregnant teen girls in school.

                                     Midwood Elementary School

                                Drum and Bugle Corps, 1938-1939

               Courtesy of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room

 

In 2012, the former Midwood Elementary School building became home to the International House. Founded by the Charlotte Area Clergy Association as the Community College and International Ministry of Charlotte, Inc. in 1981, the organization changed its name to “International House” in 1989. International House opened a multicultural campus to house Language Academy, League of Women Voters and All Ethiopian Community Center, among others. These organizations provided a variety of services, including direct services such as foreign-language conversation hours, cultural events, citizen workshops and legal services, to Charlotte’s growing international population.



 

         Midwood Elementary School, Miss Marion Price and her

               Kindergarten Group, Sponsored by our PTA, 1958.

              Courtesy of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room

This scrapbook provides patrons a look back at Midwood Elementary during its active years. Clippings celebrate student and staff achievements and thank you notes show how much Midwood’s teachers were appreciated.

To learn more about Midwood Elementary, the Midwood scrapbook, and our other collections, please visit us at www.cmstory.org/ or on the third floor of Main Library.