Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
FRIENDS OF THE CARRBORO BRANCH LIBRARY: LIBRARY ARTS PROGRAM <br /> CONTINUED EXPANSION OF THE LIBRARY"S INTEGRATED CULTURAL ARTS <br /> PROGRAM in 2014 <br /> A.ORGANIZATIONAL DESCRIPTION <br /> The Friends of the Carrboro Branch Library,a voluntary non-profit organization that enjoys the <br /> support of over 200 people from Carrboro, South Orange and Chapel Hill,has been an active <br /> community group for more than twenty six years. <br /> The Friends were instrumental in bringing the need for a branch library in Carrboro and southern <br /> Orange to the attention of the Board of Orange County Commissioners and in guiding its <br /> establishment. <br /> Currently,the Friends are actively involved in the development and expansion of the County's <br /> Library system and particularly with the building of the Southern Branch of the Orange County <br /> Library.It is anticipated that it will be at least three years before that project is completed. <br /> The Carrboro Branch Library opened in the Mc Dougle Schools Media Center,Carrboro on May <br /> 1 1995 under the auspices of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School System and Orange County.The <br /> Media Center now serves both the McDougle Elementary and Middle Schools and the Carrboro <br /> Branch Library. Until June 1996,when the Orange County Public Library took over the running <br /> of the branch library,the Friends filled a part-time position with volunteers,five days a week. (It <br /> must be added here that even though we are located in a school setting we have a distinct identity <br /> as the Carrboro Branch Library during operating hours). <br /> The Friends current tasks include planning and hosting community arts and cultural activities, <br /> community outreach activities at Town events such as Carrboro Day and the Fourth of July,and <br /> the running of the annual book sale(in November).These activities are in addition to our <br /> commitment to ongoing library support services and serving on County and regional boards such <br /> as the 2000,2004 and 2007 Orange County Library Task Force. (The Friends of the Carrboro <br /> Branch Library's role in the development of an overall library plan for Orange County has been <br /> acknowledged at several Board of Orange County Commissioners meetings.)More recently,in <br /> July 2008,the Friends were instrumental in getting"cut hours"reinstated in all of Orange <br /> County's Libraries while in October 2008 a Friends' representative was involved in the selection <br /> process for a new Orange County Library Director.In the spring of 2009 the Friends of the <br /> Carrboro Branch Library were instrumental in leading the fight against the complete closure of <br /> the Carrboro Branch Library and were successful not only in preventing the closure but also in <br /> getting the Board of County Commissioners to increase funding for libraries in general. <br /> In 2001,The Friends of the Carrboro Branch Library received two awards for their dedication to <br /> supporting the Library. The Friends of Libraries USA honored our group with the place of First <br /> Runner Up(i.e. second in the nation)for their submission to the Baker and Taylor Small Libraries <br /> Award.The submission featured the Library's Arts Program for 2001, including four large <br /> exhibitions and related workshops. The second award was the Frances B.Reid Award given to <br /> the Friends of the Carrboro Branch Library by the The Friends of North Carolina Public Libraries <br /> for the group's outstanding library support and community involvement.This award was given in <br /> large part to the Carrboro Friends because of their Library Arts Program.Meanwhile,Friends of <br />