The Hickory Grove Branch Library is located on the Eastside of Charlotte, NC. This vibrant and eclectic neighborhood connects deeply with the immigrant community with everything from diverse restaurants and grocery stores to language immersion schools and of course, the library itself. The Hickory Grove Branch has a large world language collection for all ages with Spanish being the largest number of items represented in the collection. Additionally, ten other languages are represented including Vietnamese, Chinese, French, Japanese and Korean.

Within just a couple of miles from the library, this community has two Spanish language immersion education programs. Charlotte Bilingual Preschool for ages three through five has provided innovative solutions for preparing Spanish-speaking children for success in school by providing superior dual language, multi-cultural early childhood education. And they have been providing this educational service in the Hickory Grove neighborhood for over twenty-two years. In the other direction, located in the old Eastland Mall Parking lot, is the Charlotte East Language Academy for kindergarten through eighth grade.  The school was established in 2018 and is a Title I school.

The Hickory Grove neighborhood has several community organizations dedicated to helping newcomers settle into life here in the Queen City. OurBRIDGE for Kids is a nonprofit organization that supports the immigrant and refugee community in Charlotte by providing afterschool programming and other community-based initiatives. The Latin American Coalition is a community of Latin Americans, immigrants and allies that promotes full and equal participation of all people in the civic, economic, and cultural life of North Carolina through education, celebration and advocacy. Finally, the Simmons YMCA New American Welcome Center is designed to provide a combination of services and strategies to connect and enhance cross-cultural understanding. With a focus on language and education, employment, health and wellbeing, citizenship and civic engagement, and the Y helps empower immigrants to achieve their full potential.

East Charlotte is also home to the Charlotte History Museum. This museum features programs and exhibits that explore important civic themes and how their meaning has evolved over time, including ideals of liberty, freedom, equity, justice, democracy, and citizenship. The museum sits on an eight-acre wooded campus and it is also the site of the oldest surviving house in Mecklenburg County, the Rock House, which was built circa 1774 for the Hezekiah Alexander household. And if you need to grab a bite after a day at the museum, Antoine James, the Access Services Manager at Hickory Grove, highly recommends our area for its food and restaurants. His favorite? Why Not Pizza located right next door to Hickory Grove Library. They have everything from pizza and pasta, to subs and wings. It is a staff favorite for sure!

New to Charlotte? Explore other neighborhoods through the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library blog and WelcomeCLT, a digital space created for newcomers to Charlotte.

Resources:

• Hickory Grove Branch Library - 5935 Hickory Grove Rd, Charlotte, NC 28215 | 704-416-4400
• Charlotte Bilingual Preschool - 6300 Highland Ave, Charlotte, NC 28215 | 704-535-8080
• Charlotte History Museum - 3500 Shamrock Dr, Charlotte, NC 28215 | 704-568-1774
• Charlotte East Language Academy - 6108 Wilora Lake Rd, Charlotte, NC 28212 | 980-343-0380
• Latin American Coalition - 4938 Central Ave #1, Charlotte, NC 28205
• OurBRIDGE for Kids - 3925 Willard Farrow Dr, Charlotte, NC 28215 | 980-272-6022
• Why Not Pizza - 7008 E W.T. Harris Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28215 | 704-536-0891
• YMCA New American Welcome Center - 6824 Democracy Dr, Charlotte, NC 28212 | 704-716-6600

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This blog written by Lonna Vines, children's librarian for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

This blog was written by Jasmine McNeil, outreach specialist for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

The Black Entrepreneur Series (BE Series) highlights Black Businesses and business owners in the Charlotte area. Find out how these entrepreneurs got their start, by joining us every week for the month of February for in-depth interviews and Q&A.

WEEK 1 (2/1-2/4)

BE Series 2023: Simply Skin Face & Body Spa - Dr. Nicole Calhoun, owner of a well-known spa in South Charlotte. Find out how she got her start, some challenges along the way and her goals for the future.

WEEK 2 (2/6-2/11)

BE Series 2023: McNeil Pressure Washing LLC - Meet the owner/operator of a local family-owned business, Malcom McNeil. Find out what sets his company apart from similar businesses in the area, and how he got his start into entrepreneurship.

BE Series 2023: The Real Estate Butterfly Firm - Christy Mercer Forbes is the Owner/Broker of The Real Estate Butterfly Firm. Find out more about her business, and the moves she’s making to be successful.

WEEK 3: (2/13-2/17)

BE Series 2023: Monument Real Estate Partners - Meet Johnny Walker, a commercial Real Estate Broker. Find out about his road to success and get some great advice about how to become a successful business owner.

WEEK 4: (2/20-2/25)

BE Series 2023: Agape Therapeutic Wellness - Charday Graham discusses how she became the owner of her own mental health practice, and her journey to how she got to where she is now.

BE Series 2023: Royal Oils Grooming Company - Owner of Royal Oils Grooming Company, Andre Russell shares his beginning to entrepreneurship. Learn about his journey and his products.

View the entire BE Interview Series Playlist here

This blog was written by Darrell Anderson, marketing & communications specialist for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

The stock market can be intimidating. Getting help with financial planning and investments can be costly. Who do you trust, how much do you invest, when is the right time, how much do you need to start? Even DIY investing can be costly because of the fees associated with research sites. But, you can get started today with FREE resources available at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. All you need is your library card.

Access online investment resources for FREE

With your library card, you have access to several online resources to help you get started with smart investing.

Marketscope Advisor (CFRA) provides independent, differentiated and actionable analysis to help you make better investment and business decisions. Includes S&P Global’s Equity and Fund Research business, a leading provider of independent research and commentary with offerings focused on stocks, ETFs and mutual funds as well as sectors and industries.

Mergent Online is an electronic database that is easy to use and has global business and financial data for companies worldwide.

Morningstar Investment Research Center offers real-time investment research; access to financial information about publicly traded companies, company contact information, company profiles and analyst reports; and industry peer comparisons.

Value Line Investment Survey offers advice on which stocks to buy, hold and sell. Access investment advice on stocks, industries, mutual funds, options and convertibles.

Check out some useful reading materials

In addition to the online resources and programs, the Library offers FREE investment e-magazines, magazines, periodicals and books. Access The Economist, Forbes and Entrepreneur in magazine or e-magazine formats. Check out books like The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias and The Handy Investing Answer Book by Paul Tucci for expert tips and tricks to make the best of your personal finances. Find these and more investment titles in our catalog.

The 2023 Community Read program is designed to help our community by creating community dialogue around themes of friendship and promoting a community of readers, learners and creating a platform for discussion. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation and National Endowment for the Humanities, the Library is able to give away a limited number of books at our branch locations. Beginning February 1, 2023 customers can request a free copy of one of the four Community Read titles to keep.

Book pick up will continue while supplies last. Call or visit your local branch location for more information. Each of the four Community Read titles are available for checkout in our collection as well with a Library card.

Everyone in the community can participate in Community Read: read a book, share perspectives, attend a program, engage on social media and build a stronger community together.

Visit the Community Read page for additional information, to register for programs take join the Community Read challenge today.

This blog was written by Jasmine McNeil, outreach specialist for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Diversity in Children’s Literature has been an on and off topic of discussion in the literacy and education field for some time now. There has been a significant disparity in literary representation seen across the United States in classrooms, curriculum, and libraries for as far back as I can remember. As a child, rarely seeing a character that I can physically relate to, became the norm. I was an adult before I knew that these books existed. 

The National African American Read-In, is an initiative created in 1990, to promote children’s books that feature African American characters in a normal way, and books that are written by African American authors. This initiative takes place during Black History Month, for the entire month, every year. 

This year, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is hosting our 3rd Annual Celebration of the National African American Read-In, for the first time in person. We will be hosting an event open to the public on Saturday, February 18th, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. It will be held at Sugar Creek Charter Elementary (4101 N. Tryon Street). 

Join us for workshops for all ages (registration required), live performances, traditional storytelling, a free food truck (while supplies last) and so much more.  

We hope to see you there! 

*Written by Lisa Swayne Proud of the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association*

The Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association was thrilled to be gifted the old Penguin sign, but how could we best honor and display the sign? After a lot of starts, stops, discussions and Board votes, we found the perfect solution with the help of the Plaza Midwood Merchants Association and WhirlyPig Design.

Together and just in time for PMNA’s 50th anniversary, we’re creating a permanent Plaza Midwood exhibit at the Plaza Midwood Branch of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. In addition to the Penguin sign, the exhibit will include old business signs that neighbor Murray Chapple of WhirlyPig Design has collected over the years: the 1510 antiques, City Supply and Fresh Produce.

"As a community hub, our goal is to create a welcoming space that reflects the diversity and unique character of the neighborhood. The Library is proud to preserve the rich history of Plaza Midwood through this new exhibit," said Catherine Haydon, Plaza Midwood Library Manager.

We’re thrilled the Plaza Midwood Library has agreed to host this exhibit. Plus, add to it! Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room staff is curating historic Plaza Midwood photography to be displayed with the old business signs. The new exhibit will also include pieces that the very first PMNA President Mary Anne Hammond donated like the old trolley track that ran down Central Avenue and a copy of PMNA’s very first neighborhood directory.

Thank you to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library for hosting the exhibit, WhirlyPig Design for installing all of the pieces and PMNA for funding the project. We can’t wait for the neighborhood to see it