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Parking Update for ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center

December 9, 2024

On January 2, 2025, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library will re-institute parking fees for the ImaginOn underground parking garage.
 
Each driver must pull a single ticket upon entering the garage. Payment will be collected when the vehicle exits; only credit cards will be accepted. ImaginOn and Children’s Theatre of Charlotte customers can take advantage of the 90-minute free parking provided with a validated parking ticket. ImaginOn & CTC visitors should pull a ticket and get it validated even when the garage is being used for special event parking. The self-validation station will be located inside ImaginOn at the Box Office.

All drivers should keep their ticket in a secure place to use when exiting. The Lost Ticket fee is $45. Any vehicle exiting the parking garage after the garage closes will be charged an $85 fee. Garage hours will be posted. Overnight parking is prohibited; vehicles may be towed at the owner’s expense.
 
Parking Rates
•    90-minutes free parking with validation
•    Weekday: $5 every half hour or portion thereof* after 90-minute validation period  
•    Weekday Maximum: $30
•    Saturday & Sunday: $10 flat fee after 90-minute validation period
•    Lost Ticket: $45
•    Exit After Garage Closed: $85
•    CREDIT CARD ONLY
•    *Example: 90 minutes of free parking with validation. Afterwards, the cost for parking for 31 minutes is $10 — $5 for first 30 minutes, $5 for one minute since the second 30-minute period has commenced.


Thank you for being a valued ImaginOn customer. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Preferred Parking at 704-375-6014. 
 

University City Relocation Updates

December 12, 2024

The new University City Regional Library will be located less than a mile from the current facility on Waters Edge Village Drive, in the new Waters Edge development along JW Clay Boulevard.

 

In preparation for our relocation into this new space in February 2025, University City will be operating on a modified schedule through February. The schedule is as follows:

 

December 23: University City will operate with normal hours and close at 8 p.m.

 

December 24-26: University City and all CML locations will be closed for the holiday

 

Starting December 27: University City reopens with modified service

  • Open M-Th 10am-6pm; F-S 9am-5pm  
  • Closed on Sundays

 

Services will include:  

  • materials drop-off  
  • holds pick-up

 

Check our locations page here for the most updated information on University City’s relocation timeline. 

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Indigenous Peoples of North America, Part I (Gale)
Summary

Cultural, political, and social history of indigenous peoples from the seventeenth to the twentieth century.

Details
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Remembering Jimmy Carter

December 30, 2024

Serving from 1979 to 1981, James (Jimmy) Earl Carter Jr. was the 39th president of the United States of America. A member of the Democratic Party, Carter previously served from 1963 to 1967 in the Georgia State Senate and from 1971 to 1975 as the 76th governor of Georgia. He was 100 years and 89 days old at the time of his passing, making him the oldest president at time of death.


To learn more about his accomplishments in and out of office see our booklist for a curated selection.


Jimmy Carter: 39th President of the United States (1924-2024)

 

(Former President Jimmy Carter departs after the funeral service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church, in Plains, Georgia, on November 29, 2023. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.)

Additional resources on Jimmy Carter below:

James Carter: The 39th President of the United States

The Carter Center: About Jimmy Carter

 

Sunsetting the OverDrive app for Fire tablets

January 10, 2025

OverDrive will sunset the legacy OverDrive app on January 31, 2025. After this date, the OverDrive app sunset will be complete on all platforms.

 

Users with Fire tablets running Android 9 or higher can install the Libby app instead.
 

For more details on how to make the transition from OverDrive to Libby, see Switching to Libby from the OverDrive FAQs. 

2025 Book Sale Dates

January 21, 2025

This blog is no longer updated. You can find a permanent page with current book sale dates here.

This blog was written by Kim Arlia, logistics leader for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

This blog was updated on November 24, 2025, to include new dates and remove dates that have already passed.

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!! Now is the time to get out and look at all the holiday decorations. There will be so many holiday festivities in every corner of the County and I hope you take advantage of as many as you can. Enjoy family and friends – sing holiday songs and toast a New Year! Just three more sales in 2025 and we are planning to make them special for you! Look for loads of kids’ books, hot novels and maybe a few surprises! Grab something for yourself to enjoy on those chilly evenings.

I love this time of year when we have time off and things slow down. The candles are burning bright, and a cup of hot cocoa warms my fingertips. Personally, I like to settle down with a good book – but only after I make a batch of cookies from a new cookbook. The house smells delightful and soon my tummy will no longer be rumbling – those cookies and cocoa hit the spot. Now I can let my mind race through a lighthearted romance or cottage murder mystery. No matter your preference I am sure we can help you find the perfect holiday read for you and your loved ones.

 

Start marking your calendar today!  Book sales are 9 a.m. – 1 pm (unless otherwise noted).

 

  • Saturday, December 6, 2025 – North County Regional Library

    o Loads of good books for all ages

    o TONS of KIDS BOOKS!

    o Prices starting at $1.00

  • Saturday, December 13, 2025 – South County Regional Library

    o Last chance before the holidays

    o Loads of good books for all ages

    o TONS OF KIDS BOOKS

    o Prices starting at $1.00

  • Saturday, January 10, 2026 – Sugar Creek Library

    o Start your New Years Resolution of reading more

     

     

SPECIAL BOOK SALES

 

Tuesday, December 9, 2025, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Join us in the Founders Room – lower level of Founders Hall

100 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202

 

Wednesday, January 28, 2026, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Join us in the Founders Room – lower level of Founders Hall

100 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202

 

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” — Stephen King

 

HOW CAN I DONATE BOOKS?

Book donations are currently accepted at all open Library locations. You can drop off a box/bag per day. The back rooms of our libraries are small, so we cannot accept large donations at branches. Please call your local Library before making a book donation to ensure the location can receive your items. Do not leave them outside – rain and bugs are not their friends!  

 

The Library does NOT accept the following items:

  1. Newspapers
  2. Magazines
  3. Encyclopedias
  4. VHS tapes
  5. Music CDs
  6. DVDs
  7. Albums

 

The library does accept textbooks, travel guides, and computer books – but they have to be published between 2022 and 2025

 

Have a large donation? Please contact Kim Arlia at [email protected] or Maurice Huntley at [email protected] for directions to the Library Administration Center (LAC).  The LAC operating hours for donations are Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

 

WHAT HAPPENS TO DONATIONS?

All donations are brought via the library delivery system to the Library Administration Center (LAC).  At the LAC, a team of volunteers will go through the donations and determine what will happen to them based on condition, age, and genre.  Some may be added to the existing library collection, others may go to various outreach programs, some make their way to the many Free Little Libraries in Mecklenburg County, while others end up at the library book sale or for sale at Thriftbooks.com.  Revenue generated by book sales and Thriftbooks.com allows for the procurement of more library materials.

 

 

Grand Opening of New University City Regional

January 28, 2025

This University City Regional branch closes for the final time on February 1 at 5:00 PM. The new University City Regional branch is located at 5528 Waters Edge Village Drive Charlotte, NC (behind the Applebee's on J.W. Clay Boulevard).


The Grand Opening will be on February 8 from 9:30am to 4:00pm. All invited to partake in the festivities. Activities for the day include family storytime, an Artist Talk with Anne Lemanski, Mother Minter, a 360 photo booth, gaming, a puppet show, music, a dance acrobatics performance, and face painting.

 

For details about specific events at the new University City Regional branch grand opening see this events page.

Sugar Creek Library Updates

February 3, 2025

UPCOMING MEETING

We want to know what you think! The new space will be filled with books and great staff. But, we want to know what else needs to go inside the new building and how it can best serve the community.

 

Join us to speak to the designers, and tell us what the new Library needs.

 

Tuesday, May 20
6:00p-8:00p
Sugar Creek Library
4045 N. Tryon St, Charlotte
Refreshments will be served

 

The Library is excited to share that the Sugar Creek branch will be getting a new location and a new building. Work on Sugar Creek will commence in early 2025 and the new building is scheduled to be completed in 2027.

 

The new library will double in size and is planned to be located near the Ella B Scarborough Community Resource Center. The architect selected for this project is Perkins + Will.

 

The Library is looking forward to sharing soon how the community can share thoughts and support for the new branch location.

From Letters to Legacy: The Romance That Built Wing Haven

February 11, 2025

This blog post was written by Brandon Lunsford, Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room Volunteer  

 

In December 2024, the Carolina Room received a generous donation from the Wing Haven Foundation, forming the new Wing Haven Collection. This collection documents the history of one of Charlotte’s most exceptional hidden gems—Wing Haven Garden and Bird Sanctuary. Located at 248 Ridgewood Avenue in the Myers Park neighborhood, Wing Haven began as the private residence and garden of Elizabeth and Eddie Clarkson. The couple built their home in 1927 as one of the first in the new neighborhood. Elizabeth’s interest in gardening transformed the once barren red clay landscape into a lush paradise of color. Her interest in birds and their habitats soon led to the creation of a sanctuary, attracting both feathered visitors and human admirers. Friends, neighbors, and professional ornithologists were welcomed to enjoy the gardens, where birds even felt comfortable enough to fly through the house and perch on Elizabeth’s arms as she played the piano. It was likely one of the only places in the world where birds and people coexisted in such harmony. In 1970, the Clarksons established the Wing Haven Foundation, officially opening the gardens to the public.

 

The collection also preserves the decades-long love story between Elizabeth and Eddie, which began in 1924. Author Mary Norton Kratt describes their courtship in her book, A Bird in the House: The Story of Wing Haven Gardens: “Elizabeth Barnhill told Eddie Clarkson on their first date in Boston, where he was working and where she was attending the New England Conservatory of Music, how she and her mother had raised white-winged doves.” After five years of courtship in seven states and one foreign country, Eddie and Elizabeth became engaged. After Eddie’s father urged him not to ‘let that pretty, little auburn-haired girl get away,’ Eddie drove to Uvalde, TX to propose to her. 

(Eddie and Elizabeth on their wedding day in 1927 in Texas)     

Eddie returned to his native Charlotte to build a home and a garden for his new bride following her precise instructions, and she remained in Texas until it was finished. While they were apart they wrote to each other daily–often multiple times on certain days. These letters, now part of the collection, offer a glimpse into their unwavering devotion. So far, we have processed their letters dating from July 1925 to April 1927—over 850 in total!  Every letter from Elizabeth begins with some variation of “To My Precious Boy,” and every response from Eddie is addressed to “My Most Precious Girl.” Eddie often slipped wildflowers into his letters, which remain beautifully preserved almost 100 years later.  

Letters between Elizabeth and Eddie dated March 17/18, 1926.

This correspondence continued throughout their 60-year marriage until Elizabeth’s passing in 1988. Eddie followed in 1993, having spent their entire lives together in the home and gardens they built with love.

Valentine’s Card from Eddie to Elizabeth, 1950’s

The Wing Haven Collection is divided into two main series. The first focuses on Elizabeth Clarkson and includes decades of correspondence between her, Eddie, family and friends, as well as photographs, slides, personal materials, and promotional content about Wing Haven. This material spans from the 1920s to the 1980s, with the bulk dating from the 1920s to 1940s. The second series is based around internationally known garden writer Elizabeth Lawrence, who moved to Charlotte in 1948 and cultivated her own garden nearby at 348 Ridgewood Avenue.  

Eddie and Elizabeth at Wing Haven, 1980s

In a city that is rapidly changing, stepping into the house at Wing Haven feels like travelling back to 1927. The home remains untouched since the Clarksons moved in—the original furniture, piano, and even the small window openings designed for birds to enter still exist as they were.

It’s a rare opportunity to experience Charlotte as it was a century ago and to witness a living tribute to a timeless love story.

Stay tuned for more updates on the Wing Haven Collection! To find out more about Wing Haven and its special history, visit Wing Haven.