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7 <br /> Hillsborough (4000 square feet, conditioned space, and 2000 square feet, warehouse) or use <br /> it for the Heritage Center which is proposed to house historical and genealogical documents. <br /> Soon the commissioners will also be reviewing the plans for the new Main Library in <br /> Hillsborough. The first plans for the new library did not include space for moving the North <br /> Carolina Room (local history collection) from the current library to the new library. After <br /> questions about excluding the collection were raised, the possibility of housing around half of <br /> the North Carolina Room in the new library is now being considered by the staff and the <br /> commissioners. It is my understanding that on May 5 the commissioners will be reviewing the <br /> floor plans for the new library and receiving information on the Orange County Library NC <br /> Room/ Heritage Center. <br /> 2. Operations <br /> Also flowing from the LSTF reports is an operational question concerning how the regional <br /> approach to providing library facilities, recommended by the LSTF, is to be discussed with the <br /> Town of Chapel Hill and others. In the future there is the potential to explore the <br /> interoperability among all Orange County libraries and to study the costs and benefits of <br /> implementing a county-wide, jointly operated technical support system. <br /> The pressing and immediate concern, however, is the 2009-2010 budget. At our April 16, <br /> 2009 meeting, the commissioners discussed the operational costs of library facilities and <br /> potential cuts, and whether to close the branch libraries at McDougle Middle School and Cedar <br /> Grove. We requested the library usage figures for all of the county libraries. Also raised was <br /> the question of whether to continue the funding for the Chapel Hill Public Library and how to <br /> pursue a conversation about that topic with elected officials in Chapel Hill. <br /> We will have to resolve many of these issues as budget deliberations proceed and as we <br /> discuss on May 5 the plans for the new library being constructed in downtown Hillsborough. <br /> Commissioner Gordon said that these are tight budget times and she is glad to hear <br /> that about 90% of the North Carolina Room will be housed in the new library. <br /> Commissioner Gordon said that she cannot understand how the decision was made <br /> that this room would not be in the new library and who made that decision. Laura Blackmon <br /> said that in the will, it was pretty clearly understood that the will did not say it had to be in the <br /> library. She said that it was always assumed that the reference materials in the North Carolina <br /> Room would go into the library. The Heritage Center is not part of the library. The immediate <br /> decision is that the North Carolina Room collection will go into the library and the Heritage <br /> Center will be brought back in August. <br /> Commissioner Gordon said that she wants to make sure that the N.C. Room is <br /> adequately housed in the library. She said that she did notice that a great deal of the library is <br /> for the 18 and under age group. <br /> Commissioner Nelson thanked Lucinda Munger for an exceptionally well written and <br /> clear report. He asked when the Heritage Center would come back to the Board for <br /> discussion. Laura Blackmon said that it would be brought back to the first work session in <br /> August and then to the AOG meeting in September. <br /> Commissioner Nelson said that it is important to have this discussion sooner rather <br /> than later. He is interested in disposing of property the County does not need. <br />