Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: May 5, 2009 <br />Action Agen a <br />Item No. ~-q_ <br />SUBJECT: Orange County Library North Carolina Room (Local History Collection) <br />DEPARTMENT: Library <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />1) Executive Report (Including Attachments A-I) <br />2) Floor Plan New Library W. Margaret Lane <br />(To be Provided at the Meeting) <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Lucinda Munger, Library Services Director, <br />245-2528 <br />PURPOSE: To present an Executive Report on the Local History Collection currently located in <br />the North Carolina Room of the Whiffed Library (Attachment 1), to illustrate the future placement <br />of a core collection in the new library facility on West Margaret Lane (Attachment 2), to begin a <br />dialogue on how best to use money left to the Library from Miss Rebecca Wall to sustain a core <br />collection, and to initiate the formal process for naming a meeting room in the new library for <br />Miss Wall. <br />BACKGROUND: The main branch of the Orange County Library, currently located in the <br />Whitted Building, contains a "North Carolina Room" dedicated to local and regional history <br />referred to as the "Local History Collection". The Collection includes genealogical and historical <br />materials for local and out-of-area researchers such as census, microfilm, vertical files <br />(containing local history and genealogy clippings), newspapers and local history reference <br />materials. During the design process for the new library on West Margaret Lane, there was <br />background discussion but no formal Board decision on building a separate facility, to serve as a <br />"Heritage Center". The proposed Heritage Center, a standalone building, was deemed a more <br />suitable repository for the Collection and similar materials currently housed in the Burwell <br />School and the Orange County Museum. Because of plans for a separate facility, the new <br />Margaret Lane library was not designed with a special room for the Collection. Now that the <br />Library is getting ready to relocate from the Whitted Building to the new facility on West <br />Margaret Lane questions have emerged regarding the future home of the Collection and the <br />future development of a Heritage Center. <br />Since January 2009, Library management and staff have worked with specialists and librarians <br />from state agencies and local libraries on evaluating the Collection, providing input on a "core" <br />collection, and collaborating on preservation efforts. The organizations represented were State <br />Library Archives, State Library Government and Heritage Library, UNC Wilson Library NC <br />