It’s no secret children love the Library. From their first Storytime experience to attending puppet shows, participating in science demonstrations or meeting their favorite book illustrator, these are highlights they’re eager to share with friends and family. Perhaps what most excites children these days is taking an armful of books to the self-checkout stand, placing the stack on the mat and watching as the books automatically register with their RFID tags into their library card account.

Then what happens is children’s use of the library changes. It evolves to checking out chapter books, then young adult books, to using tutoring or study programs and then, eventually, to finding a quiet space to cram for finals or write a term paper.

As children grow into adults, it’s a common trend that Library use diminishes. College, career and maybe even that need to explore something outside the familiar takes over. However, everything comes full circle when adults start a family and return to the Library with their children to attend storytimes, checkout picture books and maybe even find respite in a quiet corner while their children are pre-occupied.

This is almost the same pattern Ailen Arreaza found herself following. A Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board of Trustee member, Ailen emigrated from Cuba with her family when she was a child. When they settled in Charlotte, the Library was the first welcoming place she found. Ailen immediately loved the Library and spent most of her time at the University City Regional Library. Not only was it a safe space, it also provided her a place where she could feel independent, explore new worlds through her love of reading and also spend time with her younger brother.

Now married with children, Ailen wants her children, ten-year-old Lucas and seven-year-old Paulo, to have the same experiences she did. She wants them to discover all there is to explore, learn and do at the Library.

“We’ve spent a lot of time at ImaginOn when my boys were younger,” Ailen says. “The exhibits, programs and toys kept us entertained. Now that they’re older, our use has changed and their love for the Library has moved from storytimes and expanded into reading.” The family calls the Sugar Creek Library their home branch.

This past summer, Ailen’s family took an extended vacation overseas. Before departing, her sons loaded up their electronic devices with e-books. “Lucas puts in his own requests for items on hold and downloaded his books by himself. He has a ONE Access card through Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and knows his ID number by heart. This allowed him to access more materials and the digital resources remotely while we were outside the States,” says Ailen. (ONE Access™ is a program that provides students the ability to check out books to take home for schoolwork and to read for pleasure using their student ID as their Library card number. All CMS students are automatically enrolled in this program and additional charter schools and colleges also participate. See cmlibrary.org/oneaccess for more information).

Ailen’s children aren’t the only ones thankful for their Library card. Aileen’s husband, Tony, learned that by having a Library card he could rent a hotspot for a nominal fee to use for his business, Carlotan Talents. In 2018, he signed up for his first Library card. Using the hotspot allowed him to support his business activities with online financial transactions at remote locations. “I didn’t even know the Library offered this resource, so this was a great discovery. And it seems like every day we find out more and more of what the Library offers. I’m so amazed by it all,” says Ailen.

Ailen is not nearly finished exploring the Library, though. She has a list of what she wants to do next:

1. Visit the IdeaBox, the Makerspace at Main Library with its 3-D printer
2. Explore teen opportunities, especially since Lucas is only a few years away from this age group
3. Research Charlotte’s history in the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room at Main Library
4. Attend a program hosted by Dr. Tom Hanchett, the Library’s first Historian-in-Residence

Even though she already commits up to 12 hours a month serving on the Library’s governing board, Ailen is a staunch advocate whenever she can be. Recently she took a family, that emigrated from Venezuela, to the Library where she knew there would be a large collection of books in Spanish they could use. Additionally, she’s going to tell them about the Mango Languages resource – a free language-learning software with over 70 world language courses and over 17 ESL/ELL courses. Mango is user-friendly and features an engaging user interface, voice comparison, fresh design, foreign language films and cultural anecdotes.

“The Library is truly a great equalizer,” says Ailen. “This is the connecting place where the community can come together. Everyone should have a Library card and discover all the possibilities.”

Ailen Arreaza is the North Carolina Program Director for ParentsTogether, a national nonprofit that provides resources and community to help all kids and families thrive. Before joining the ParentsTogether team, she spent nearly a decade working on issues of equity and access for the City of Charlotte. In that role, she investigated allegations of housing discrimination and led city-wide campaigns to educate Charlotteans, particularly Latino immigrants, about their fair housing rights. Ailen regularly writes about issues related to social justice. She is originally from Cuba and a graduate of The George Washington University. She lives in NoDa with her husband and two rambunctious sons.

Don't have a Library card? It's as easy as 1-2-3! Click here to get carded!

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month! 

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library values learning, openness and inclusion and the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room team feels a Library card is the key to each of those things!  

Library Card Sign-Up Month began in 1987 when the Secretary of Education, William Bennett, expressed the importance of every child having (and using) a library card.  

The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room celebrates Library Card Sign-Up Month, too. Although our collection is non-circulating (meaning patrons cannot check books out and take them home), we have digital resources that enable you to conduct genealogical and historical research from the comfort of your own home.   

The evolution of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library cards



Below, you can find a list of our personal favorite digital resources: 

• Ancestry Library Edition* 
• Charlotte Observer Newspaper Database 
• ​Daily Life Through History 
• Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) 
• Heritage Quest 
• Historic North Carolina Digital Newspaper Database 
• HistoryMakers Digital Archive 
• Library Science Database (Proquest) 
• NCPediaPolitical Science Database (Proquest)  
• Research Companion (Proquest) 
• Social Science Database (Proquest) 
• ​WorldCat 

*Remember that Ancestry Library Edition is only available at the branches. 

Visit your local Library branch today and #CMLibraryGetCarded!

Con A de Arte is a rich, cultural festival that spotlights the work of Latinx artists, writers, musicians and dancers, as well as the agencies that support Latinx art and culture in the city.  The festival was celebrated for the first time at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in 2003. Initially, the event began as "The Market Place," and grew so rapidly that it was passed on to other cultural institutions for sustainability reasons. The festival is now hosted by The Mint Museum and Queens College. 

Why is cultural represntation of Hispanic culture and influence so important to the Charlotte community? Keep reading as we take a closer look at Census Bureau data to further understand our diverse neighbors.

The Census Bureau began to record Hispanic or Latino origin among the “foreign-born” in the United States in 1980. At that time, 3,962 persons (less than one percent of Mecklenburg County’s total population) were of Hispanic or Latino origin. Little more than one percent of Mecklenburg residents had been born outside the United States.

Migrants from Mexico and Central America had only just begun to explore opportunities outside the Southwestern United States. The demand for labor in the Southeast attracted workers at a time when a lack of economic opportunity and, in some countries, political instability drove them from their homes.

The following decade saw civil war in Central America, as well as federal legislation on immigration. The 1990 Census figures reflected these factors. The increased number of persons fleeing El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras accounted for the greater portion of the pie chart devoted to “Other” countries of origin. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 provided a temporary status for agricultural workers and a path to citizenship for those already in the country. It was followed by a 78% jump of Hispanic immigration to Mecklenburg County. 

The 1990s transformed the Hispanic and Latino presence in the United States. The languages, food, music and people of Latin America had long been part of border culture in the Southwest and port cities in the East. By the year 2000, the immigrant stream to the Southeastern United States had given a new look and new cultural connections to the Carolinas. The 2000 Census showed an increase of almost 600% led by a twelve-fold surge in immigrants from Mexico.

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library recognized this new element of its customer base and changed collections, signage and programming to meet the needs of a diversifying community. The photograph below was taken in June 2009, at a Main Library "Con A de Arte” (A is for Art) event.

As of 2017, persons of Latino or Hispanic origin made up 12% of Mecklenburg County’s population. For them, and for all, the Library offers the chance to improve lives and build a stronger community.

 

This blog was written by Tom Cole of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room at Main Library, with additional information provided by Irania Patterson.

Sources:

US Census Bureau, American FactFinder

• 2000, 2010, and 2017 (Type in "Charlotte" or "Mecklenburg County" and select a year)

Publications of the United States Census Bureau

• 1990 Census of Population: General Population Characteristics: North Carolina,  1990, Table 5, p.22
• 1980 Census of Population, Vol. 1, Chapter B: General Population Characteristics, Part 35: North Carolina, U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census, 1980, Table 16, p.25

At the age of 60, Leslie Hooton's wish to be a published author came true. She is publishing her first novel, Before Anyone Else, with Turner Publishing. It was an accomplishment she dreamt of all her life. A childhood visit to the library with her mother was the start of her dream. In fact, the first memory Leslie recalls in her life is the smell of library books which developed into a life-long passion for reading those books. For Leslie, her library card was the equivalent to her passport to exciting books and adventures. 

Leslie grew up in a small Alabama town comparable to the setting of How to Kill A Mockingbird. A stroke at birth kept Leslie in a wheelchair for much of her childhood but a visit to the library and a library card changed everything. "The library was my happy and safe place," Leslie said. “When I would go it was like a passport to the world."  



The library was a place where Leslie could explore the world and experience things she didn’t think would happen in her real life. Being able to access the world was important to her. It allowed her to be independent and to connect with her thoughts. And it was something her local library gave her the chance to do. 

To Leslie, a fourth-generation attorney, the library was a comforting place; she’d grown up there. Both her mother and her aunt were librarians. In fact, Leslie would spend hours writing in her high school’s library which is also where her mother worked. "I was happiest when I was quiet and writing in the library. I would go to the library before anyone else would get there and smell the books. I wasn't alone." She’d found a sanctuary among books. 



And Leslie continues to read and write. An avid blogger, Leslie has found a way to marry both of her passions: through blogging. Her blog, What Dreams May Come, is about her love of libraries and why she enjoys writing.  

Leslie has been a resident of Charlotte for 30 years. Her favorite Charlotte Mecklenburg Library branch, and the one she calls home, is the Myers Park Library. She says she would spend entire days there if she could. "It was like a full-time job,” she said. “I would go with my legal pad and sit at a certain desk. I would write until 1 p.m., eat lunch, and go back to writing." 



Leslie is a great friend of the Library and she is an inspiration to others. The theme of her personal life story and testimony is apparent: never give up on your dreams.  



Today, Leslie can say that she is a participating member at the Sewanee Writers Conference, a member of the Myers Park Library Board, a lifelong friend of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and, finally, she now calls herself an author. Her book, Before Anyone Else, is available through the Library. It is also available for purchase here through local Charlotte bookstore, Park Road Books.

This blog was written by Julia Zwetolitz, an intern with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Formed in 1932, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra is today the largest and most active professional performing arts organization in the Carolinas. Currently known as The Charlotte Symphony, this organization includes small ensembles of musicians such as the Flute Club and two Youth Orchestras, among others. These small ensembles perform outreach services to local hospitals, and organizations. 

  



Courtesy of Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Instagram (@cltsymphony)

Community service is very important to the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. The Carolina Room’s manuscript collection describes, through newspaper articles, concert programs and other items, how the organization has been interwoven with the community since its beginning. The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra used the auditoriums of Alexander Graham Junior High School, Myers Park High School, Mineral Springs High School and Piedmont Junior High School as concert venues before Ovens Auditorium was built. 







Sydnor Thompson, president of Charlotte Symphony Board of Directors,

being shown recordings by Joe Little at Joe Little Hi Fi and Records (126 W. 5^th St.), 1959.



Since the Orchestra's conception, the organization and its affiliates have performed at community locales such as Queens College's Dana Auditorium, the United States Naval Hospital, Davidson College and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. While the full organization may not have participated, individual Orchestra conductors and Orchestral players have been participants in the Brevard Music Festival Orchestra and the Transylvania Music Camp. They have also performed during local church services including those held at Covenant Presbyterian Church, Myers Park Presbyterian Church and Providence United Methodist Church.

Courtesy of Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Instagram (@cltsymphony)

Beyond performing in various locations throughout the region, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra--as an organization and some individual personnel--participated in collaborative efforts that allowed them to spread music beyond a season's regularly scheduled concerts. The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra collaborated with such artists as Ella Fitzgerald, the Atlanta Ballet Company and the Carolina Ballet Company. The Orchestra also reached out to other musicians through smaller ensembles such as the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Charlotte Flute Club, the Mint Museum Ensemble and the Charlotte Chamber Music Players.

Joseph P. Little Obituary Photo, 2012.



Joseph Pritchard Little, one of the early members of the Orchestra and played the flute for over fifty years (1934-1989). He very kindly donated his collection of programs, articles, photographs and audio/visual materials to the Carolina Room in 2007.

Please visit us in the Carolina Room to enjoy the collection!

This blog was written by Sydney Carroll of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room.

Celebrate at the North County Regional Library Fall Fest and Grand Re-Opening on Saturday, October 26, 2019 with ribbon cutting at 10 a.m.!

Now that North County Regional Library is open, we’re ready to celebrate! Join us on Saturday, October 26, 2019 for a Fall Fest and Grand Re-Opening from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.*

Festivities include:

• Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 10 a.m.
• Tours inside the branch
• Outside activities - food truck, inflatable bouncy toys, community vehicles
  • Wrap'N' Roll Food Truck
  • Johnson & Wales University – sweet treats table
  • A Bounceable Time – jumbo soccer darts, foot darts & hoop zone Basketball toss
  • The Raptor Center w/ Raptors in Art: Visitors learn how raptors have inspired artists throughout the world in different cultures and time frames. They play a sorting game trying to figure out which artwork represents which kind of raptor. They also get to make owl sculptures using homemade play dough
  • Bailey Middle School Band
• Inside activities - local community partners, face painting and more
  • Storm troopers
  • Children's exploration map
  • Photo-op stations - including Queen Charlotte (#QueentakestheQueen)
  • Smart Start Dolly Parton cutout for Imagination Station project
  • Huntersville Park & Rec
  • Childrens' storytimes
  • makerspace
  • Adult Services' scavenger hunt

What to see?

North County Regional Library increased by 1,860 square feet to nearly 24,860 square feet. You can tour all the redesigned spaces for children and teens including a new Teen Loft, a makerspace room, an expanded community room, individual and group study rooms and collaborative spaces, a vending café, and a patio and terrace. New features include free Wi Fi, audio-visual capabilities and a public computer lab. A new exterior book/materials drop is part of the new traffic flow in the parking lot. The North County Regional Library is also updated with an efficient checkout system using radio frequency identification (RFID) and an automated materials handling (AMH) unit.

Library hours

Starting October 7, North County Regional Library will resume normal operating hours. The Library will be open Mondays through Thursdays 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; and Sundays 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Hours may vary in summer. 

See you at North County Regional soon!

*The branch will be open on Saturday, October 26, 2019 for regular operating hours from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

On November 3, 2019 at 5 p.m., South County Regional Library closed to the public. We anticipate reopening in early 2021 with a refreshed library. In the meantime, we know that this closure may impact customer use of the library. Renovations allow us to serve customers and Mecklenburg County in even better ways. We are bringing these changes based on customer feedback, and with funding from Mecklenburg County.

Please know that we are doing everything we can to bring customers convenient library access through our other 19 locations, programs at alternate venue locations, and a growing digital collection that includes books, music, videos, and research resources. We hope this information helps customers understand service options during the closure and keeps customers engaged with the library. The patronage of our customers is vitally important, so please read on for important information as well as other useful updates.

During the closure, we hope you will continue to use your library services by connecting with another branch for browsing, borrowing, classes/workshops, children's storytimes, and the many other ways you use us, or by using our online services at cmlibrary.org.

Other local branches to the South Mecklenburg County area

There are other branches local to the South Mecklenburg County area that continue to offer children's storytimes, programs and services. We encourage South County Regional customers to explore the option closest to them and to continue their library experiences at:

• Morrison Regional Library - 7015 Morrison Boulevard, Charlotte 28211 704-416-5400
• Matthews Library - 230 Matthews Station Street, Matthews 28105 704-416-5000
• Steele Creek Library -13620 Steele Creek Road, Charlotte  28273 704-416-6800
• Independence Regional Library - 6000 Conference Drive, Charlotte 28212 704-416-4800

Library Holds and Pick-ups

As of October 21, Morrison Regional Library automatically became the ‘home’ location on South County Regional Library accounts. Since Morrison Regional Library is the closest library to South County Regional, it has been identified as the interim holds pick-up location during renovation. We are doing this to make it easier for customers because, as of October 21, South County Regional no longer received or distributed reserved items.

Customers who wish to choose an alternate ‘home’ location for their holds pick-up location other than Morrison Regional Library, can do so in the following two ways:

1. Request assistance from any Library staff at South County or any Charlotte Mecklenburg Library location; or
2. Call the Library at 704-416-0100

Or, when in Bibliocommons reserving an item, customers can choose a location from the drop-down list -- but remember South County was removed as an option on October 21. (Note: changing this is in Bibliocommons will not permanently update the ‘home’ location in customer accounts.)

Attending Children's Storytimes

Children’s storytimes will continue at nearby community locations, including Gymboree Play & Music, the Morrison Family YMCA and Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church. Other family storytimes are offered at various times at our 19 other Library locations (visit cmlibrary.org and search the calendar). Please look for additional details regarding times and locations for children's storytimes.

Returning Books and Materials to the South County Book-drop

Please note that South County Regional is no longer a book drop location and the drop-off receptacle has been removed. Customers can drop off items at any of our other 19 Library locations.

For more information, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions.

Want to learn more about our Building Projects? Click here.

Thank you for your patience during our renovation. We encourage customers to continue using the Library – both at another location or online at cmlibrary.org. We value all of our customers and look forward to welcoming South County Regional customers back to an exciting, newly renovated library in early 2021!

South County Regional Library is located at 5801 Rea Road, Charlotte, 28277. For information on all branch locations, click here. 

We missed you, too!

North County Regional Library is now open and ready for business! Customers and community members will love the incredible upgrades to the building – there is so much to see and do. Here’s a run-down of all that is new:

Starting on the third floor of the Library, customers and community members will find a new Teen Loft purposed to serve children and teens ages 10-18. The Teen Loft is equipped with young adult fiction, graphic novels, computers, playaways, board games and space just for teens. In addition to the Teen Loft, branch visitors will also find a Calming Room. The Calming Room is a space for anyone who needs a peaceful space such as nursing mothers, those who may experience sensory overload and more.

Perhaps one of the most exciting new spaces on the third floor of North County–and entirely new to the branch—is its makerspace! A makerspace is a place to explore and create with some of the latest emerging technology. The makerspace at North County is equipped with 3D printers, a vinyl cutter, a Carvey (wood cutter), a sound booth with audio recording equipment, virtual reality equipment and has design and editing software available.

Just want to stop by and play with some fun technology? The third floor is also home to the childrens area, which includes a large space for programs.  Upon request, customers and community members can borrow Makey Makey and littleBits kits to help them explore the space further. Makey Makey kits are an electronic invention kit that connect everyday objects to computer programs, while littleBits is composed of electronic building “bits” that snap together that allows anyone to create with technology. The hours of operation for the Makerspace may vary so please contact the branch for information regarding accessibility.

Venturing down to the ground floor, customers and community members will discover an expanded Community Room that can be partitioned into two separate rooms. They will also find a conference room, two study rooms and an additional restroom. When customers enter the Library on the main floor (the building also features a more accessible path to the building entrance), they will find an additional stairwell, a vending café, an outdoor lounge area, the holds and pickups area, and self check-outs. The vending café is equipped with snack and drink machines for customers to enjoy at their leisure.

In addition to all of the wonderful upgrades mentioned above, North County Regional Library also has a new exterior book/materials drop as part of the new traffic flow in the parking lot, an efficient checkout system using radio frequency identification (RFID) and a new automated materials handling unit. Customers and community members will also find a beautiful piece of public art on display. The art, donated by the Arts & Science Council, furthers the ASC mission of “ensuring access to an excellent, relevant, and sustainable cultural community for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Region.”

The entire location has been refurbished and reorganized to fit the needs of a growing community. The Library is open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; and Sundays 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Hours may vary in summer.

New customers are encouraged to sign-up for a Library card on-line or at the branch. Come by and check it out!