You might have noticed your holds aren’t arriving as quickly as you’re used to. Or those Halloween titles you requested for your children weren’t on the shelves until well into December! Due to unprecedented supply chain delays and worker shortages, some titles have been delayed or canceled altogether. Books are sitting in warehouses or container ships for months, waiting for workers to process them and ship them to us.

We apologize for the longer than usual wait times, which are unfortunately a common problem right now, but please know we’re working our hardest to make sure the books, DVDs, audiobooks, and other library materials you love are in your hands as soon as we’re able to get them to you. We appreciate your patience and look forward to returning to the timely service you’ve come to expect!

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This blog was written by Bethany Pierce, librarian for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

What better place to fall in love than the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library? We don’t mean romantic love alone. All love is welcome here. Familial, platonic, volunteer, literary—you name it.

As an essential community connector, libraries are places where people fall in love with, and among, books – and we want to hear your story. Have you made a new a friend at a Library program or while serving as  a Library volunteer? Maybe a Library employee suggested to you a self-help book that changed the trajectory of your life and your love self. Or, maybe your dog helps shy readers conquer their fears of reading aloud each week through a Paws to Read program at your local library branch and inspiring literacy in children brings you joy.

That’s a whole lot of love to share.

This is your chance to let the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library know how we've helped you fall in love with financial literacy, locate your dream career or introduced you to a life-changing hobby. And, if really did brush hands with the love of your life while looking for a good read at the Library, we want to know about that too.

SHARE YOUR LIBRARY LOVE STORY by Friday, February 4, 2022.

*Collected stories will be lightly edited (punctuation, spelling, etc.) and used on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library blog, social media platforms and in other areas where marketing the stories is deemed appropriate. Participation in this survey is voluntary and only first names will be used in public posts.

Thank you for sharing the love.

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.

Written by Maggie Bean, Library Foundation Communications Director

As we bid farewell to another year, it’s time to unveil what our customers checked out the most in 2023 starting with the top circulator in each genre:

Best in Genre

Fiction
Verity by Colleen Hoover

Nonfiction
Spare by Prince Harry

Children
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Överlöde by Jeff Kinney

YA
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Audiobook
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Libby by Overdrive Magazine
The New Yorker

Top Five in Genre

Fiction

1. Verity by Colleen Hoover
2. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
3. Happy Place by Emily Henry
4. It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
5. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Nonfiction

1. Spare by Prince Harry
2. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeannette McCurdy
3. Maybe You Should Talk To Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
4. Atomic Habits by James Clear
5. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir by Matthew Perry

Children’s

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Överlöde by Jeff Kinney
2. The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster! By Mo Willems
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer by Jeff Kinney
4. Pete the Cat Plays Hide-and-Seek by Kimberly & James Dean
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School by Jeff Kinney

Young Adult

1. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
3. It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
4. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
5. We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

Audiobook

1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
2. Spare by Prince Harry
3. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
4. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
5. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeannette McCurdy

Libby by Overdrive Magazines

1. The New Yorker
2. US Weekly
3. Prevention
4. The Week Magazine
5. HGTV Magazine

Written by Randi Smith, South County Regional Library

Each morning as the South County Regional Library branch opens, patrons make their way through the building finding places to sit and work, browsing collections, and utilizing public computers and resources. Some of these patrons are here nearly every day, walking by our brightly decorated room and silently wondering: What exactly IS a Makerspace?

If you are one of those patrons, at South County or any other branch, or if you just happened across this post and find yourself asking the same question, you’ve come to the right place!

A Makerspace is a dedicated space for creativity and innovation. We utilize equipment and resources to get creative and bring your ideas to life! The possibilities are truly endless; from 3D printing prototypes to making personalized gifts, to designing t-shirts for your small business or recreational sports team, Makerspaces exist to create equitable access to resources and empower the community to create and innovate!

You can find dedicated Makerspace Studios at South County Regional, SouthPark Regional, North County Regional, and ImaginOn; although you can find makerspace programming at many more branches! Each Makerspace Studio features 3D Printers, Vinyl Cutters, Heat Presses, and Sewing Machines. Additionally, South County Regional also houses an Epilog Laser Cutter that can cut and engrave wood, North County Regional has a Button Maker, Cricut, and Embroidery Machine, and ImaginOn features a production studio.

If you want to start creating, contact the Makerspace at your preferred branch and ask about how to get started! South County Regional has one-on-one appointments available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays as well as various monthly guided workshops! You can tour the South County Makerspace every Wednesday from 1:00 – 3:00 PM or make an appointment at picktime.com/sormakerspace. 

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s construction of the future University City Regional Library location is now underway with an anticipated completion time in 2025. While poor weather conditions caused the groundbreaking event to be canceled, the project continues to move forward.

The University City branch is one of the most visited libraries in the CML system. Last fiscal year, it circulated nearly 300,000 materials and hosted over 15,000 customers in its programs.

The new facility will be located less than a mile from the current facility on Waters Edge Village Drive in the new Waters Edge development along JW Clay Boulevard.

“This new facility has the customer in mind with generous spaces for dedicated program areas, a large community room, new and ample technology, and flexible meeting spaces, along with comfortable individual and group-size reading and study spaces,” Library CEO Marcellus Turner said.   

Mecklenburg County approved a $39.6 million capital ordinance for the project in 2022, which allows the Library to purchase the land, building and various needs such as furniture, fixtures, equipment and technology necessary to open to the public.

For more information on the University City Regional Library Project, visit here.