Marie is a Buyer’s Specialist and Designated Concierge with the Leigh Brown & Associates team. She moved to the states from Sweden back in 2011, and has been exploring Charlotte ever since! With her unique background (she speaks English, Swedish, and French!), she has a unique perspective on all things Charlotte. Marie currently resides in Waxhaw with her husband, two teenage boys, and her cats! With all that exploring Marie has done over the past 6 years, one of her favorite places is the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. When we asked Marie what she loved about the library, she said, “This place is so much more than just a library… the building and its history are amazing!”
Back in 1891 the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library began operating in a couple rooms above a bookstore on South Tryon Street. This small “library” was organized by a group of prominent citizens and functioned under the direction of Librarian Bessie Lacy Dewey. In 1901, in an effort to allow the general public access to this collection – control of the library was transferred to the City School Commissioners. At this time, the location of the library was transferred to City Hall on the corner of North Tryon and East Fifth Streets; with Sallie H. Adams in charge of the 2-room library.
In 1903, the first brick and mortar Charlotte Mecklenburg Library location was built. Since then, they have added an astounding 19 locations – making the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library accessible to all of Charlotte’s residents. While the community’s needs and desires continue to evolve, the Library vows to do one thing: to keep their services free to all who come.
To this day, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library prides themselves on four main goals. As a community business, they want to provide amazing customer service, convenient hours and locations, volunteer programs, and new technology. As a place in the community they hope to be accessible and welcoming to everyone, and to be the go-to place for finding inspiration, exploring possibilities, and learning. They also hope to be a leader in the community, serving as a partner in community issues such as literacy. The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library strives to bring together neighbors to share ideas and develop solutions to community challenges while bringing together volunteers and donors to contribute to a community that is working and thriving.
With an abundance of services and programs available, as well as daily/weekly/monthly events and activities – the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is certainly doing their part in bettering our community. Haven’t been to a library in a while? Why not? You might be surprised how much fun you can have there, and best of all – it’s FREE!
Learn more: www.cmlibrary.org