Charlotte Literary and Library Association
Board of Directors 1891
Dr George W. Graham, President
JE.D. Latta, Vice-President
John M. Walker, Jr., Secretary and Treasurer
General Rufus Barringer
Dr. M.A. Bland
Willis B. Dowd
Col. William Johnston
Hon. F.B. McDowell
Almost 100 years ago, in January of 1891, a group of prominent Charlotte citizens gathered at the Law Library on North Church Street. Their intent was to organize a library for the people of Charlotte, a library which would be the forerunner of today's Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.
1989 Library Board of Trustees
Robert C. Sink, Chairman
Dennis Rash, Vice-Chairman
Mary P. Bogguss
Rev. Calvin A. Hood
Eleanor R. Morris
Elizabeth S. Randolph
Sally Robinson
Robert E. Cannon
Director of Libraries
1989 Board of County Commissioners
Carla E. DuPuy, Chairman
Thomas Rodney Autrey, Vice Chairman
John G. Blackmon
George Higgins
Peter Keber
Barbara E. Lockwood
Rev. Robert L. "Bob" Walton
Brevard Street Branch 1929-1961 (established in 1905 as an independent library)
Cornelius Branch 1931 -
Davidson Branch 1931 -
Huntersville Branch 1931 -
Matthews Branch 1931 -
Pineville Branch 1931 - 1985
Piedmont Courts Branch 1941 - 1973
East Branch 1956 -
South Branch 1956 -
North Branch 1957 -
Mint Hill Branch 1958 -
Derita Branch 1960 - 1968
West Branch 1962 -
Sharon Branch 1963 -
Northwest Branch 1964 -
Tryon Mall Branch 1968 -
Independence Branch 1974 -
In her opening comments on June 11, 1989, Carla Dupuy, chairman of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners and a former chair of the library board, reflected she was proud of the new library – a Coliseum of the mind – referencing the new sports Coliseum that also opened in 1989.
The new main library, with more than twice the space of the old facility, was planned to accommodate expanded services and changing technology. The building features conference and meeting rooms of various sizes, public typing and computer rooms, display areas and a state of the art film, sound and video library with preview facilities. On the third floor the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room houses special collections of historical materials, documents, manuscripts and rare books.
The 1980s brought a series of rapid changes. Arial Stephens resigned in November of 1982 and was followed by Ron Kozlowski (1983 - 1985) and Robert Cannon (1986 - ) with Judith K. Sutton serving as acting director in the transitional periods.
In 1966, the library's two bookmobiles were retired. The bookmobiles had provided flexible, popular service. But they could carry only limited collections and were becoming increasingly expensive to operate. The branches maintained the friendly, neighborhood atmosphere and had much more space available for children's and adults' programs, for students studying and completing homework assignments, and for more varied collections.
In the spring of 1954, the main library was moved into temporary quarters on College Street for the two years required to tear down in the Carnegie building and build the new facility. When it was opened to the public on November 19, 1956, it received national attention in architectural and library circles as state of the art in library design. A.G. Odell of Charlotte was the architect. Cost of the building and equipment came to $1.1 million.
Brevard Street Branch now had professional library staff for the first time. Allegra Westbrooks had been hired the previous year as Head of Negro Library Services for the system. She was the first black library supervisor in the state and was to serve the library in various positions for over 35 years. Under her guidance, the black community became increasingly involved in the library through a citizen' advisory committee, which planned lecture series and discussion groups. Teenagers had a similar planning committee which met regularly, and a variety of programs were offered for children. The library system was desegregated in 1956 but the Brevard Street Branch continued to operate until December of 1961 when it was closed and demolished as part of the Brooklyn area urban redevelopment project.