The Friends of the Chapel Hill Public Library grew out of a gathering of people who supported the establishment of a Library in the 1950s. The group was founded formally shortly after the Library opened in 1958 in a little frame cottage on Franklin Street. Our constitution and by-laws were ratified in May 1981, by which time the Library had expanded and moved to a new building at the corner of Franklin and Boundary streets.
Our purposes were (and continue to be):
- maintain an association of persons interested in books,
- promote the full use of the Library (now the busiest public library in the state), and
- keep people informed concerning the Library's aims, functions, and needs.
We have published a Newsletter from our earliest days. Since 1968, from September through May, our Meet-the-Author Teas have provided local authors with an opportunity to discuss their recent works in a congenial atmosphere. Our book sales have, since 1970, earned as much as $20,000 annually for the purchase of books for the Library.
Membership dues and donations are used to support programming for children and for a number of Library purchases including best-sellers for the Friends’ Bookshelf, computer equipment, an outdoor book return, a microfilm reader-printer, a map file, and Dial-a-Story technology. Additionally, the Friends furnished the conference room in the new Library when it opened in 1994 and provided start-up funds for the establishment of the Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation.
We welcome your questions and comments. Feel free to send us an e-mail.