Agenda - 05-05-2009 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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5 Executive Report Library NC Room History Collection The main branch of the Orange County Library, currently located in the Whiffed Building, contains a "North Carolina Room" dedicated to local and regional history. This History Collection includes genealogical and historical materials for local and out-of-area researchers such as census, microfilm, vertical files, newspaper and local history reference materials. During the design process for the new library on West Margaret Lane, there was talk of building a separate facility to serve as a Heritage Center. This standalone building was deemed as a more suitable repository for the History Collection and similar materials currently housed in the Burwell School and the Orange County Museum. Because of the plans for a separate facility, the new Margaret Lane library was not designed with a special room for the North Carolina Room History Collection. Now that the Library is getting ready to relocate its collections from the Whiffed Building to the new facility on West Margaret Lane questions have emerged regarding the placement of the materials in History Collection. In preparation for the move from the Whiffed facility to the W Margaret Lane facility, library management and staff have met and collaborated with specialists in the archival, historical preservation, and genealogical fields regarding accessibility to and preservation of the NC Room local history collection. While this report does not address the future of a possible Heritage Center, it will give the BOCC: 1) The chronology of the development and discussions regarding the Heritage Center from 2000 to present, Attachment A 2) Final report concerning the NC Room collection and its possible move to the new facility. In the Library Task Force Report of 2000, there was a recommendation to establish a "Heritage Center" either in a new or expanded facility to accommodate historical records. In this report, the task force defined the "Center" as a facility which houses the records of the Social Services Department, the Health Department, the NC Room of the Orange County Public Library and the collections of the Historic Hillsborough Commission (Burwell School), the Hillsborough Historical Society, and the Orange County Historical Museum. The report also estimated costs for implementation of the facility with additional staff as $507,500, including annual operational cost of $70,000. While the Heritage Center remained an important recommendation throughout the Library Services Task Forces of 2000, 2004 and 2007, there was no action taken by the BOCC to approve and appropriate funding as part of the 10-year Orange County CIP for a Heritage Center. Attachment B The materials in the NC Room currently housed in the main library in the Whiffed facility, developed as a loosely organized collection which is comprised of 1748 catalogued items. This room was not intended to be an archival collection, because we do not have the proper archival processing and facilities to maintain and preserve these materials for future generations. From time to time, the library received donated materials for this room from individuals. These donations included items such as family histories and materials pertaining to general NC reference. We also received donations in 2004 and 2008 from the Durham Orange Genealogical Society (D-OGS) totaling $1,000. These funds have been utilized to obtain certain missing titles, expand the census materials to