All Library locations and book drops will be closed on March 29th and March 31st for Good Friday and Easter. 

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The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Summer Break Program is sponsored by Carowinds, Wendy's and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation

Summer Break: Thank you, sponsors!

July 30, 2019

Welcome to Week 9 of Summer Break!

Summer Break may be Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s summer learning program, but it wouldn’t be possible without the strong support we receive from our sponsors. We thank these sponsors for their support, which helps the Library improve lives and build a stronger community.

Summer Break got off to a sweet start thanks to Wendy’s! A coupon for a complimentary Junior Frosty provided the perfect sign-up incentive for participants of all ages. Wendy’s has been a long-time sponsor of summer learning programs at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. Thank you, Wendy’s, for your support of Summer Break!

For the second year, the Library has been honored to partner with Carowinds. Not only does Carowinds generously donate tickets to encourage our community to read and learn all summer long, but they celebrate literacy during Library Week – where library cardholders receive discounted tickets and enjoy storytimes at the theme park. Thank you, Carowinds!

An important partner in all Library ventures is the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation. Their support this year has been crucial in facilitating programs reaching all populations – from infant storytimes and programs for people with special needs to outreach to the elderly. Thank you, Library Foundation, for contributing to the ongoing success of Summer Break!

Comments? Questions?

Are you having problems with the Summer Break website or your account? Do you have questions about the program? Feel free to stop by your local library for assistance, give us a call at 704-416-0101 or email us at [email protected].

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Children enjoy lunch at West Boulevard Library thanks to the Summer Food Service program, a partnership with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools

Kids Eat Free with Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

August 1, 2019

Both West Boulevard Library and University City Regional Library are working with local organizations to provide meals to children during the summer months.

West Boulevard Library

 West Boulevard Library is partnering with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) to serve as a meal site for the CMS' Summer Food Service Program, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered through the NC Department of Public Instruction.

The Summer Food Service Program provides nutritious meals at no cost to help children in low-income areas get the nutrition they need to learn, play, and grow throughout the summer months when they are out of school. Through the program, children ages 1-18 receive meals at no cost and all meals meet nutrition standards based on federal guidelines. 

West Boulevard is serving as a site only on Thursdays, with lunch served from 1:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Library also offers programs for children that begin after lunch ends.

Teresa Cain, children’s librarian at West Boulevard participated in a similar program at a Virginia library. Last summer, she took branch leader LaJuan Pringle and fellow librarian Abrar Alkusaimi to see the program in action at Social Services. After seeing the impact of the program, Pringle knew this would be a great fit for the community West Boulevard serves. Cain then worked with CMS Summer Food Services to offer it at West Boulevard. 2019 is the first year Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is participating in this program.

Cain says, “Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ Summer Food Services is  eager to work with libraries. All their other locations serve meals every weekday. When I told them that we only had staffing to handle a once a week program, they made a special exception for us. They're hoping to include more Library locations next year.”

The Library has quite a few families who attend every single lunch program which, according to the experts, indicates that they are seriously in need of help.

Cain adds, “As soon as we started promoting the Free Lunch programs, our customers, even those who don't have children were so excited. They felt we really understood the needs of the community we are serving, needs that go outside the boundaries of typical library services. Even people who did not stand to benefit from the program really appreciated that we were offering it.” 

So what are people saying about the impact of the program at West Boulevard?

Jose, the CMS driver/server, said, he “…loves coming to our location. Every single one of our kids said "thank you" when given a meal. This almost never happens at other locations.” Jose wants to come back again next year.

 

 

“The Library offers program after the lunch, and most of the families stay, even the families who have never been to a library program before. It's been a great way to build relationships with new customers in the community and to introduce them to all the possibilities that are available for free at the library. Says Cain, “We see many customers who originally just came for free lunches take advantage of other programs and using computers or free Wi-Fi.”

 

 

Working with CMS and offering the free lunch program is just the tip of what the Library can do with community partners.

The lunch program began at West Boulevard Library on June 13, 2019 and ended August 1, 2019. The branch plans to participate next year. 

University City Regional Library

Kids Eat Free at Atrium Health University City is a service the hospital provides for all kids ages 18 and younger. They provide two free healthy meals (breakfast and lunch) daily Monday through Friday.  University City Regional Library, in its third years with the program, works with Atrium Health and Sodexo to educate and entertain children partaking in the free meals.

 

 

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, University City Regional Library sets up an information table and interactive activities from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the children who come to the hospital for a meal.  They also take books for kids to read as well.   

 

 

 

Jonita Edmonds, University City Regional Library’s branch leader, shared this story from one of the library’s visits at the hospital: “One day our librarians brought LEGOs and Alpha-Bots to a table at Kids Eat Free. Several groups of kids walked past, excited to see the LEGOs, and with one group, the leader told the kids they needed to eat before joining the activity. After eating, the group hurried back to interact at the table. One of the doctors came out and asked them friendly questions while playing. With each group of children, we were able to share library programs and resources, and parents were excited to know that we had LEGOs and other activities at the library. Some families said they would head to the library after eating for entertainment.”

The Kids Eat Free program kicked off on June 10 and ends on August 22, 2019.

 

 

 

   
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This history of America's favorite cookie as told by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room team.

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day is August 4

August 1, 2019

Chocolate Chip Cookies (originally known as “Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookies”) were invented by Ruth Wakefield circa 1938. Aside from being recognized as the creator of this delicious treat, Wakefield is also known for running the Toll House Restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts from 1938-1967 with her husband, Kenneth.  

The reason for the esteemed cookie’s creation varies. Some believe that Wakefield ran out of nuts and substituted small pieces baker’s chocolate, and others think an industrial mixer bumped a shelf with chocolate, while being moved, and caused chocolate to fall into the cookie dough. Perhaps the more realistic story is that Wakefield created the Chocolate Chip Cookie “by dint of training, talent, and hard work”, knowing that the combination of these ingredients would live on as an American classic.   

In 1939, Wakefield sold Nestlé the rights to reprint her cookie recipe on their packages for $1. Story has it that she got free chocolate for life -- not a bad deal in our opinion.  

“Like Spam and Coca-Cola, Chocolate Chip Cookies’ fame was boosted by wartime soldier consumption. Before the war they were a largely East Coast-based fad; after Toll house cookies rivaled apple pie as the most popular dessert recipe in the country.”  -Carolyn Wyman, ‘Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Book’   

Interestingly enough, Wakefield’s Chocolate Chip Cookies also served a patriotic purpose. The dawning of World War II made these cookies more popular with wives, mothers, aunts, nieces, sisters and girlfriends baking and sending them to American soldiers overseas. The Toll House Restaurant sent thousands of Chocolate Chip Cookies for wartime consumption.  

After the war ended, Pillsbury and Nestlé both popularized refrigerated cookie dough while Nabisco, Famous Amos, Mrs. Fields and David’s Cookies eventually sold pre-made cookies in grocery stores in the 1950s.  

“This compulsory school education seems to be failing a large percentage of these children. It’s not coming through on its promise to educate. We’re at the library showing we can create a learning environment in which children can have a good feeling about reading, and we found that they responded in a remarkable way.” - Dennis Martin, Public Librarian 

In 1979, a Los Angeles public librarian named Dennis Martin used Wakefield’s cookie to incentivize children to learn how to read. Martin founded the “Super Reader” program, which rewarded children with Chocolate Chip Cookies for reading library books.  

The results of the three-month program revealed that circulation of children’s books at one of the suburban branches increased by 86 percent, with over 500 children earning cookies. This was particularly exciting news given that, at that time, most children in LA schools did not read at their grade level.  

Although there was controversy over incentivizing reading in this way, Martin’s library program gained the support of public school teachers and helped to change the trend of children’s literacy programs. Reading Clinic Director at CSU-LA, Delwyn Schubert, explained, “I do feel extrinsic rewards have their place... [Youngsters] have to be primed a bit. In Mr. Martin’s case, the cookie is like the primer. Then once the youngster gets reading, maybe he will read for his own sake and the reward will be intrinsic.” 

Martin did clarify saying that the reward program would not fix the root of the reading problem, but that it was a sweet way to start trying.  

Want to bake some your own version of Chocolate Chip Cookies? Try out some of these recipes created by local Charlotteans. Recipe books are housed in the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room on the third floor of Main Library. 

Recipe #1

 

Recipe #2

 

Recipe #3

 

Recipe #4

 

Citations: 

Associated Press. “He Used Cookie Bribes to get Kids to Read.” Charlotte Observer. (Charlotte, NC), May 3, 1979. Accessed July 2019. 

Michaud, Jon. “Sweet Morsels: A History of the Chocolate Chip Cookie.” Culture Desk. The New Yorker. December 19, 2013. Accessed July 2019.  

Public Library of Charlotte Mecklenburg County. Public Librarians Cook Marvelous Creations: Now you can cook like a librarian! Charlotte, NC: Staff Organization of PLCMC, 2002. (NCR 641.59756 P976) 

Roberts, Sam. “Overlooked No More: Ruth Wakefield, Who Invented the Chocolate Chip Cookie.” New York Times. (New York, New York), March 22, 2018. Accessed July 2019. 

The Guild of Discovery Place and Charlotte Nature Museum. Recipes & Reminiscences: Celebrating 50 Years. (Kearney, NE: Morris Press Cookbooks, 2011. (NCR 641.59756 R297) 

The Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. Charlotte Cooks Again. Charlotte, NC: The Junior League of Charlotte, North Carolina, 1981. (NCR 641.59756 M43c J95ca 1999) 

The Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. Dining By Fireflies: Unexpected Pleasures of the New South. Charlotte, NC: The Junior League of Charlotte, North Carolina, 1994. (NCR 641.59756 Dining OVERSIZE) 

 

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August 6, 2019 is National Night Out.  Learn how you can get involved with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Leave your porch light on Tuesday, August 6!

August 5, 2019

National Night Out is a nationwide event that promotes community awareness and builds police-community relationships. This annual event began in 1984 and is held in more than 20,000 communities and neighborhoods across the United States and Canada. 

More than 70 events are being held around Mecklenburg County this year; find an event near you here, or check with your neighborhood association’s social media. Check the social media app NextDoor for events, alerts and news unique to your neighborhood. It’s also a great way to find events hosted by your local library! 

Here are some ways the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library branches will participate this year:

The Matthews Library will participate in the town of Matthew’s National Night Out event on the Town Green--right outside the library. Community organizations, including the Matthews Police Department’s K-9 unit, will be on hand to share information about keeping your neighborhood safe. Stop by the library tent or head inside the library to say hello to your neighbors and staff, learn about upcoming library programs and escape the summer heat!  

The Myers Park Library will join Grier Park apartments for their 36th Annual National Night-Out Celebration event on Tuesday, August 6 from 5-8 p.m. The Library will table the event, providing literacy activities, giveaways, registering attendees for Summer Break and for Library cards.

The Davidson Library will attend the town of Davidson’s National Night Out. The Library will table this event, providing Library information and an activity for kids.  This event is from 5-7 p.m. and the town will provide FREE food!

Sugar Creek Library will participate in Hidden Valley National Night Out from 4-8 p.m., University City Regional Library will join the Hammond Lake Community on Rubin Lura Court from 6-8 p.m. and the West Boulevard Library will participate in National Night Out festivities at the Arbor Glen Outreach Center.

You can also participate by leaving your porch light on from 7-10 p.m. This symbol of awareness serves as a welcoming and friendly signal to your neighbors. 

Check out these community-building ideas and resources—all free with your library card:

  • Hold a backyard Movie Night with family-friendly movies from Hoopla!  We recommend Swiss Family Robinson or The Shaggy Dog.   
  • Get to know your neighbors on your street by throwing a progressive dinner; every household makes a different course of the meal.  Try The Southern Living Party Cookbook for menus and inspiration.
  • Host a block party with recipes from Nancy Vienneau’s Third Thursday Community Potluck Cookbook or Ashley English’s Handmade Gatherings
  • Meet your friendly neighborhood firefighters from Station 24 at South County Regional Library Monday, August 19 at 10 a.m.
  • August is a great time for an ice cream social! If you don’t have an ice cream machine, make more than 100 frozen treats with Leslie Bilderback’s No-churn Ice Cream.
  • Start a neighborhood book club with a free book club kit available for checkout! See a full list of titles here
  • Attend a lecture by our Historian-in-Residence Tom Hanchett. He’ll be at our Steele Creek, Morrison and Myers Park libraries this fall speaking about the history of various Charlotte neighborhoods. 
  • Enhance your neighborhood or community by attending workshops provided by the City of Charlotte. Attend a pre-registration workshop or learn more about the program here
  • Support your local small businesses by starting your own business! Learn how to get started by attending SCORE workshops at various library branches throughout the year or Aspire Community Capital workshop at our West Boulevard Library.

Build a safer, stronger neighborhood with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library!

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The View the Right Thing film series at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library honors filmmaker Spike Lee and his cinematic greats.

View the Right Thing film and discussion series comes to the Library

August 6, 2019

It’s been 30 years since “Do the Right Thing,” a Spike Lee Joint, hit the big screen.

If ever there were a time to relive the hype, the time is now. Considered controversial at the time of its release in 1989, “Do the Right Thing” is a film that dives deep into issues centered on race, politics and what it means to “fight the power” of the establishment. Viewers of the film get to explore rich, cultural themes and experience hot-button issues from gentrification to socioeconomic nuances that are still relevant in today’s world.

The film, centered in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, tells the story of the hottest day of the year, when hatred, bigotry and tempers boil over into physical violence. This film, the first in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's "View the Right Thing" film and discussion series, stars Spike Lee, Rosie Perez, Danny Aiello, Samuel L. Jackson and more.

During the film series, attendees will have the opportunity to explore both the work of Spike Lee and other filmmakers inspired by his work.

Please note that all screenings will take place at Beatties Ford Road Regional Library except for the first and final movies of the series which will be shown at Hickory Grove Library and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture respectively. The complete schedule for the series can be found here or as follows:

1. Saturday, August 17, 2019

“Do the Right Thing” at 1 p.m. at Hickory Grove Library

2. Saturday, September 21, 2019

“Get on the Bus” at 1 p.m.

3. Saturday, October 19, 2019

“School Daze” at 1 p.m.

4. Saturday, November 16, 2019

“Higher Learning” 1 p.m.

5. Saturday, December 21, 2019

“Boyz n the Hood” at 1 p.m.

6. Saturday, January 18, 2020

“Eve’s Bayou” at 1 p.m.

7. Saturday, February 15, 2020

"Malcolm X" at 1 p.m. at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture

All films in the series will be followed by discussion. Courteous and respectful dialogue is encouraged.

We look forward to “Viewing the Right Thing” with you!

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Library customers browse the 2018 Big Book Sale at Independence Regional

Big plans for a big sale

August 6, 2019

They call it “The Huge One.”

Most Charlotte Mecklenburg Library locations have a small selection of books for sale year-round. But once a year, Independence Regional Library holds a sale worthy of a special trip. The Big Book Sale began in 2016 and it’s grown exponentially every year since – this year it will take over the Library’s lobby for four days: Wednesday, August 21, 2019 through Saturday, August 24, 2019.

Why buy books where you can borrow them for free? Library staff member Helaine Kranz explains: “People are looking for something special. Some are teachers or parents, building a classroom or home library. Others are collectors, looking for an unexpected treasure. One customer found a vinyl record she’d been searching for, another purchased a signed copy of Jimmy Carter’s autobiography. It’s the Library version of Pawn Stars – you never know what you’ll find!”  

Library staff collects books, records, CDs, VHS tapes and DVDs for the sale all year – many are donated by patrons or “weeded” from the Library’s collection, and staff put aside antique, signed, or rare books for a special collections table. Most materials will sell for under $1, with specialty items priced accordingly.

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue from the Big Book Sale – and all book sales – support the whole Library system. Together with other branch revenue like fines and fees, book sale proceeds support systemwide needs like maintenance, training and travel, marketing and professional development.

Kranz beams as she reflects: “Customers really look forward to this, and it’s so satisfying for us to see people find an item with special meaning for them. The Big Sale brings us all joy.”

And that’s huge.

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A Summer Break activity with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Summer Break begins to wrap up

August 9, 2019

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!!   

 

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Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Children's Services Leader, Jesse Isley, shares six back-to-school titles for kids, teens and adults.

Charlotte Today: Back-to-school books for every age

August 12, 2019

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.

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A history of baseball in Charlotte

August 15, 2019

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.