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3 <br />6) Use interest earning from the Rebecca Wall will to provide financial support for <br />preserving, protecting, and making acquisitions to the "core collection." <br />Miss Rebecca Wall bequeathed the Library $50,000 in 1986 for the support and development of <br />the North Carolina Room Local History Collection. These funds held in an interest bearing <br />account have now grown to approximately $134,500. Attorney Geoff Gledhill has advised the <br />exact intent of the Wall will was unclear. The Library wishes to use the interest earnings to <br />provide financial support related to preservation, protection, and acquisition for the "core <br />collection" as discussed. It would also provide additional staff training in historical collections, <br />provide funds for matching grants in order to provide on-going programming honoring Miss Wall <br />and serving as a stimulus for economic tourism development. Examples, of special <br />programming would be research symposiums, history related lectures, exhibits, and an award <br />honoring scholarly research or preservation projects. Additional donations could be solicited to <br />create a `living legacy.' <br />As stipulated by Miss Wall in her will, the Library would: <br />• Dedicate the large meeting room on the main floor in Rebecca Wall's honor, this naming <br />process to be presented at the next board meeting <br />• Display in the meeting room the portrait of Thomas Ruffin's law office, painted on a tray <br />by Miss Wall. <br />If desired, the Board could continue to explore a proposed Heritage Center to encompass <br />community assets from Burwell School, Alliance for Historic Hillsborough and Hillsborough <br />Museum in the future. The scope, organization, financing and administration, collection <br />development, and public/private support for a proposed Heritage Center should be carefully <br />evaluated among potential partners. Such a facility could become the focus for increased <br />tourism and economic development within Orange County .and enhance the historical <br />importance and experience of Hillsborough. <br />During the last Assembly of Governments (AOG) meeting on March 26 it was decided the Chair <br />and Mayors would meet to determine how to move forward on library issues. At the Board <br />meeting on April 21 Chair Valerie Foushee indicated libraries would be the principal topic of the <br />AOG meeting on September 24. In preparation Orange County and Chapel Hill library staffs <br />have been asked to initiate discussions regarding the Library Services Task Force Reports and <br />recommendations from 2000, 2004 and 2007. The results of their review and expert <br />recommendations will be presented in an update to the Board on June 15, 2009. County <br />management suggests the Board consider using the work session on August 20 to focus <br />primarily on libraries in advance of the AOG meeting. <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: Recommendations within the Executive Report carry immediate <br />operational costs that can be accommodated within existing Library resources. The Rebecca <br />Wall bequest provides approximately $134,500 for the ongoing support of the North Carolina <br />Room Local History Collection. <br />RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board: <br />1. Receive the attached Executive Report on the Local History Collection currently housed in <br />the North Carolina Room of the Whitted Library, <br />