by Alexandra Mansbach

Carrboro Commons Writer

Josie Steele carefully glued cotton balls onto her cut-out sheet of paper, smiling proudly as she finished creating her own Russell from the children’s book “Russell the Sheep.”

Patti (left) and Josie Steele pose with Josie’s artwork after Story Time at the Carrboro Branch Library. They often attend Story Time on Saturday mornings at the library located at McDougle Middle School.
Photo by Alexandra Mansbach

Steele is one of the many children who enjoy making crafts after Story Time on Saturday mornings at the Carrboro Branch Library.

Story Time is just one of the programs the library offers to the town and surrounding area — programs, some say, that could reach more people if Carrboro had its own freestanding library.

“We could do so much more with different age groups and seniors,” said Nerys Levy, Chairperson of the Carrboro Library Art Committee and member of Friends of the Carrboro Branch Library, a group that has spent 19 years pushing for a freestanding library in Carrboro.

“We have constantly been asking for a library,” Levy said. “And it’s constantly being eluded.”

In 1995, the Carrboro Branch Library opened at McDougle Middle School. The library is shared with both the elementary school and middle school on the property. This means that patron hours do not begin until 3:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday.

In addition, the library is closed Friday, open Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and open Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

“The hours are basically confusing,” Levy said, adding that many people do not come to the library because of its irregular schedule. “This huge investment is locked up a lot of the time.”

Jake Lehrer, the branch head of the library, said he thinks that the hours are the main restriction on the library.

“Morning hours are usually better for seniors,” Lehrer said. The library is only open in the morning on Saturdays, and only for two hours.

Carrboro is the largest town in North Carolina without a freestanding library; and libraries, Levy said, are a basic and essential part of a community.

“It should be an automatic function of a county to provide a library,” she said.

There are 1.75 full-time employees and several part-time employees at the branch, Lehrer said.  He also said he does not consider the library to be very small, and is happy with the programs it currently provides. These programs include Toddler Time, Story Time, summer reading and a craft workshop in conjunction with the library’s art exhibit.

But Levy said that so few employees leave a major reliance on volunteers; something she said is a key responsibility of the Friends of the Carrboro Branch Library.

“Without the Friends getting money from book sales and bringing in volunteers, the Carrboro Branch Library would look very different,” she said.

“A new library would offer more resources all around,” said Elizabeth Allen, a part-time library assistant at the Carrboro Branch Library. She works Wednesday nights and leads Story Time some Saturday mornings.

Another issue is that many do not know about the library. With people continuously moving in and out of the community, Levy said, the library is left “under the radar.”

Levy said she believes the slow advancements for a new library may have to do with decision makers being unaware of the seriousness of the situation.

“A lot of people who are making these decisions have never set foot in the Carrboro Branch Library,” she said.

Carrboro’s proximity to Chapel Hill is also a factor, with some people arguing that Carrboro residents can use the UNC-Chapel Hill libraries or the Chapel Hill Public Library.

This will not do, Levy said, because the Chapel Hill Public Library is far from Carrboro and parking for the UNC-CH libraries is difficult. Levy also said that the University libraries do not offer children’s programs.

Meanwhile, the Carrboro Branch Library at McDougle and the Carrboro Cybrary at the Carrboro Century Center remain inaccessible to many people because of hours, locations and a lack of resources that should be available to residents.

“This is not good enough for a town of at least 20,000,” said Levy. “What we have in the county is a very inadequate library system.”

That is why the Friends of the Carrboro Branch Library have now asked for the Southwest Regional Orange County Branch Library, Levy said.

This new library would serve Southwest Orange County while being located in Carrboro. These plans are exciting for people like Levy, who has waited more than 19 years for a freestanding library.

“It’s time for us to move now,” she said. “Twelve years in a temporary facility is a long time.”

On the Web:

Carrboro Branch Library:

http://www.co.orange.nc.us/library/carrboro/index.htm

Chapel Hill Public Library:

http://chapelhillpubliclibrary.org/