User:Shrikesong/RPL

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Rowan Public Library
LocationRowan County, North Carolina, USA
Established1911
Branches2 (China Grove and Rockwell)
Collection
Size280,295
Access and use
Access requirementsResidence in Rowan County
Circulation774,466
Population served138,651
Members98,345
Other information
Budget3,059,143
DirectorJeff Hall
Employees46.97 (on FTE basis)
Websitewww.rowanpubliclibrary.org
References: Public Library Survey 2011[1]

Rowan Public Library is the public library system of Rowan County, North Carolina.

History[edit]

(some points)

  • Established 1911.
  • Used to be housed in Community Building which was old courthouse on North Main street.
  • Edith M. Clark named first library director in 1936.
  • Built library in 1951, expanded some in 1953.
  • Library expanded in 1989.
    • A $2.9 million bond referendum was put before the voters on May 6, 1986. The voters of the county, usually rejecting new bonds, approved the library construction bond by a two-to-one margin. It was the first referendum approved in the county in 13 years.[2]


  • Stories-to-Go created in 1991.

From actual page[edit]

On March 11, 1911 a group called Traveler's Club met at the Lodge of Salisbury Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, on the second floor of the Meroney Theater in Salisbury, North Carolina. At this meeting a library association was formed. Archibald Henderson Boyden, a former mayor of Salisbury and a leader and later chairman of the city school board, was elected chairman of the library association.[3] Boyden family offered to house the first public library of Salisbury on the property they owned in the small Henderson Law Office located in the corner of Church and Fisher Streets. In 1952 A.H.Boyden's daughter, Mrs.Burton Craig gifted the lot with the law office to Rowan County for the purpose of establishing a library.[4] Boyden heirs donated additional $75,000 for the construction of the new library building.[5]

In 1913 Mrs. Mamie Linton accepted the position of a librarian.[6] During this time the library moved to the former County Courthouse, dubbed the Community Building, and shared space with the police station. In 1936 the library employed its first professionally trained librarian, Miss Edith Montcalm Clark, who served as Director of Rowan Public Library for 36 years until 1972. [7] Ms.Clark was the person who made the library from cataloging the book collection to physical expansion of the library into Spencer, China Grove, Faith, Landis, and Rockwell. She changed the name of the library from Salisbury to Rowan to reflect the spread of libraries in the county.

Holdings[edit]

Electronic media[edit]

The library is a member of the NC Live consortium[8] and through its web portal has access to various information and media databases such as EBSCOhost and WorldCat.[9] In 2014, RPL also started providing patrons with access to Learn4Life and Zinio.

Rowan Public Library started offering Amazon Kindles for the public to check out and use beginning in November, 2010. Demand was so popular they had to order several more just a few months later.[10]

Notable holdings[edit]

Washington letter[edit]

Washington letter.

Catesby volumes[edit]

In 1999, The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands by Mark Catesby was donated to the library by Archibald Craige. The two volume work is the second edition printed in 1754 and is one of only approximately eighty copies in existence. The volumes were reconditioned and placed in special display cases and placed near the History Room.[11]

Locations[edit]

The Rowan Public Library system maintains three branches in Rowan County as well as bookmobile services from their headquarters.[12] They provide free WiFi at all branches during hours they are open.[13]

Headquarters[edit]

Meeting rooms are available for groups and organizations to reserve. The Hurley Room holds up to 25 people and the Stanback Room will hold 100 people.[14]

  • The Archibald Henderson Law Office (on the National Register of Historic Places) is located on the campus of the main branch, on the corner of West Fisher and South Church Streets.
  • Just a few yards away from the law office on the campus stands the monument to author Christian Reid (1846–1920).
  • In front of the library is a monument dedicated to [Christian Reid] (pen name of Frances Fisher Tiernan), which is an engraved large open book made of granite.[15]
  • At the back of the library stands the old town well.

History room[edit]

South Regional[edit]

East Branch[edit]

Former branches[edit]

Services[edit]

The library offers a variety of computer classes taught by library personnel. Topics range from beginning computer use to more advanced instruction. These are offered at all three branches.[16]

Bookmobile service[edit]

Productions[edit]

  • Ramble Through Rowan videos.[17]

Notable events[edit]

  • Centennial celebrations.
  • The Big Read - 2007 - The Grapes of Wrath[18]
  • The Cheerwine Music Hour - Cheerwine and the Friends of the Library joined to create a concert series generally held at the main branch of the library.[19]

The library was named as one of the top 20 library giver locations by World Book Night, in 2014.[20] RPL is also participating in the 411 Community Read program.[21]

Awards and honors[edit]

  • ALA/Information Today Library of the Future Award (1998)[22]

Friends of the Library[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Public Libraries in the United States Survey, 2011". Institute of Museum and Library Services. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  2. ^ "Referendum okayed in Rowan". Library Journal. 111 (13): 28. August 1986.
  3. ^ "Salisbury Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks History". tommyjones.org. October 14, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "Archibald Henderson Law Office" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. July 6, 1971. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  5. ^ Witt, Gretchen Beilfuss (2008). "Historical Facts about Rowan Public Library". State Library of North Carolina. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  6. ^ "Society". Salisbury Evening Post. September 24, 1913. p. 3. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  7. ^ "Edith M. Clark". Edith M.Clark History Room. n.d. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  8. ^ "Member Libraries". NC Live. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  9. ^ "About". NC Live. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  10. ^ Wilson, Karen Cimino (January 30, 2011). "Rowan libraries see increased excitement over Kindle offering". Concord Kannapolis Independent Tribune. Internet Archive. Archived from the original on February 5, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2014. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; February 5, 2011 suggested (help)
  11. ^ Wineka, Mark (November 26, 2014). "Library brings work of famed naturalist Catesby back to life". The Salisbury Post. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  12. ^ "Locations". Information. Rowan Public Library. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  13. ^ Walker, Shavonne (February 6, 2015). "Nuisance teens tapping onto free Wi-Fi connections in North Main Street neighborhood". The Salisbury Post. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  14. ^ "Event Space". Downtown Salisbury, Inc. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  15. ^ Eubanks, Georgann (2010). Literary Trails of the North Carolina Piedmont. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0807859797.
  16. ^ Whisenant, David (March 4, 2014). "Rowan Public Library offer "Blogging for Beginners"". WBTV. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  17. ^ Burchette, Jesse (March 21, 2007). "Rowan Public Library wins statewide award for video series". The Salisbury Post. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  18. ^ "History/Overview of The Big Read". The Big Read website. National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  19. ^ Whisenant, David (May 13, 2014). "Wayne Henderson to perform at Rowan Public Library". WBTV. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  20. ^ "World Book Night U.S. 2014 Releases List of Top 20 Library Giver Locations". Library Journal. March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  21. ^ "About". 411 Community Read. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  22. ^ "Library of the Future Award Recipients". ALA website. American Library Association. Retrieved February 28, 2014.

External links[edit]

[[Category:Education in Rowan County, North Carolina]] [[Category:Public libraries in North Carolina]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Rowan County, North Carolina]] [[Category:1911 establishments in the United States]]

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