Our Library helps many in Mecklenburg. There’s a new opportunity to support it.

We have been Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Card holders since 1984 and 1995. While we are new to the Library Board of Trustees, we are not new to appreciating the individual and collective benefits of our Library for our community. Libraries matter. In order to support all million Mecklenburg county residents, our Library must be resourced appropriately.

The role of public libraries plays a vital role in every community. Libraries provide programs and literacy for young families, access to technology for job searches and public spaces for tutors, book clubs and elections. Libraries create an opportunity for persons to learn and grow in a host of ways across generational lines.

The Library has 359,000 active cardholders, provides 22,000 programs to the community each year serving more than 500,000 participants. Customers at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library locations accessed the internet 1.2-plus million times, and about 11,000 people used the computers and programs in the Job Help Center.

These stats are important as we head into budget planning for Mecklenburg County, where your voice will make a difference. Until Dec. 23, all Meck residents can complete the annual Mecklenburg County budget survey. Budgets reflect priorities. During this time of hardship for all, it is more than important than ever for our community to show our priorities and demand adequate funding from County Commissioners for essential services — our Library.

Our Library system needs increased funding to provide for the locations, materials, services and programs available to every resident of Mecklenburg County. Libraries are a critical support for children and adults, and are accessible to all, with 20 physical locations throughout the county. In these social distanced times, there is an array of digital resources and virtual programming. In June, we will add one mobile library to our “branch locations” to serve library deserts.

With virtual instruction for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, charter, and private schools the new normal in the coming months, access to online books and materials is more important than even. Through the One Access™ program, more than 289,000 Mecklenburg students have used their (fine free) library accounts since 2015. This means free online access to key educational resources, as well as one-on-one testing and mentoring support.

While 2020 has brought unprecedented challenges, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library continues to meet community needs by offering traditional services, such as branch hours and computer access, while also adapting and changing to our new online world as we stay home to protect lives.

There is a critical need in the community to bridge and erase the digital divide in Mecklenburg County, and the Library continues to serve as a leader in the digital inclusion space, committed to making this effort a success. With CARES Act funding from Mecklenburg County, the Library placed 1,400 free laptops into the hands of residents with the most need — those in search of work, students and parents struggling with virtual learning, people with physical challenges, and our aging residents navigating the healthcare system.

An increase of funding would allow for more programs, services and locations in all areas of our community. Resources would work to close the digital divide by providing more access, advancing literacy and learning for children and adults.

Now the 15th largest city in the US, the growth of our community during the last several years has increased the demand on county services and the Library needs support to meet this demand. As we consider the many needs of the community, a growth plan is needed that leverages our community’s assets for the best possible return. Our public library has proven to be a good investment.

The time to share our priorities is now. Please show your support for essential services — our Library — within the county’s survey on budget priorities. We encourage the Mecklenburg County Commission to increase the Library budget.