Charlotte Mecklenburg Library 2024 Impact Report
Table of Contents
Our Community
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Main Library
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Letter from the CEO & Board of Trustees Chair
Allegra Westbrooks
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Founders Hall
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Hickory Grove
Improving Lives
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ImaginOn
A Collection that Meets the Community’s Needs On the Go with “MoLi” A Gem at The Library Embracing Our Strengths Through Major Initiatives Helping the Library Help the Community
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Independence
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SouthPark
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Mountain Island
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Myers Park
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11 Building a Stronger Community Growing Our Library System The Living Archives: A Legacy for Charlotte Powerful Partnerships Taking a Strategic Approach Closing the Digital Divide Equity, Inclusion & Intellectual Freedom
Plaza Midwood
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South Boulevard
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South County
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Steele Creek
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Sugar Creek
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University City
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West Boulevard
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15 Library by the Numbers 16 Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation 14 Financial Report
Cornelius
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Davidson
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North County
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Matthews
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Mint Hill
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Pineville
Regional Library
Community Library
Under Construction
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Welcome to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library where it is our mission to improve lives and build a stronger community. Every day our staff warmly greets customers with a helpful spirit and a fountain of information. We strive to make certain the Library is a place where all feel welcome and supported to grow as individuals. Fiscal year 2024 was momentous for CML. We did so many things that met customer and community needs in order to build a stronger community. We are pleased to have it in our FY2024 Impact Report. In the following pages, you’ll read about the unique and robust programming we provide; the lasting partnerships we’ve created; and the physical growth we are experiencing in the form of new, modernized Library branches. We do all of this with the community in mind.
Top: Marcellus Turner, CEO Bottom: Charles Thomas, CML Board of Trustees Chair
Because of our work and commitment to the community, we’ve seen circulation grow. We continually update and increase our collection to meet the public’s needs and values. That led to a 36% increase in the number of items borrowed over FY2023. Our active Library cardholders grew more than 11% because Charlotte Mecklenburg Library provides collections and resources that open a world of knowledge and possibilities. And, we do it all while being fiscally responsible. The Library values learning, openness, respect, inclusion, and leadership. We envision ourselves as the essential connector of a thriving community of readers, leaders, and learners. We build strong community partnerships that help us invest in the community by addressing workforce development issues, building entrepreneurship skills, providing resources for lifelong learning, and assisting the unhoused population. We are excited about the work on our new Main Library. It will be a beacon in uptown Charlotte that is also an education center, major visitor destination, and a catalyst for the area’s resurgence after the pandemic. The Library will continue to have a profound impact on this region. At Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, every customer who walks through the doors of our 21 branches, climbs onto our mobile library, or finds us online allows us to see our vision more clearly. But most of all, they each put us one customer experience closer to achieving our mission.
Happy reading!
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Improving Lives One of CML’s core values is learning. We connect children, teens, and adults with reading and information to expand curiosity, explore interests, and discover passions. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is a place where all are welcome to discover who they are or who they want to be. “The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it from you.” –B.B. King, Blues guitarist
A Collection that Meets the Community’s Needs Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has a rich collection of digital and print material. With a total of 2,682,038 items in our collection, customers are certain to find something that piques their interest. The circulation of our collection continues to rise with 4.7 million checkouts of print materials and 3.9 million digital checkouts for a total of over 8.6 million checkouts. This is – in large part – a result of the diversity of our collection.
technology skills, learning a language, and even helping students with their schoolwork.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has a mobile library called MoLi (pronounced Molly). This library on wheels connects people of On the Go with
all ages to CML by lowering access barriers to our services. It comes stocked with a collection for children and adults that has fiction and non-fiction in print and digital formats. MoLi also provides access to large print and Spanish language materials, as well as programs and resources that the community needs. In FY2024, MoLi circulated nearly 31,000 items and delivered 28 unique programs to nearly 700 attendees at places like senior centers, neighborhoods, and schools throughout Mecklenburg County.
In FY2024, we completed a diversity audit of our collection. The results showed that Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s collection far exceeded industry standards across all age groups and genres. Material selectors strive to ensure our collection meets the needs of our diverse community, including titles in sixteen languages. Along with books for all ages, the Library’s collection also includes book club kits and technology like learning tablets and podcast kits that customers can borrow. Our Library collection also offers over 100 online resources to meet community needs such as enhancing
Librarian Saul Hernandez inside of MoLi
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Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room rendering for CML’s new Main Library
A Gem at The Library The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room has often been called a hidden gem in the Charlotte- Mecklenburg region. It is indeed precious but also well known by those who are looking to find out about themselves or their community. Its talented staff and collection of over 74,000 items on the shelves plus millions of images in the archives make it a trusted source for information. The Robinson- Spangler Carolina Room has items dating back to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s fledging origin as the Charlotte Literary Library Association in the late 1800s and well before. It is uncommon for a public library to have a collection so large that is filled with history, culture, and purpose. The Carolina Room focuses on three areas: genealogy, local and state history, and Mecklenburg County archives. Each area is distinctly unique yet intrinsic to the others. The Carolina Room genealogy section is, oftentimes, where people go when they are trying to piece together who they are and how they connect to a community. Its scope is worldwide. It has helped a great number of people personalize history using materials and resources about families, places, organizations, and more.
Materials in the North Carolina collection relate to the culture and history that define the Tar Heel State today. Its scope is statewide and helps give context to Charlotte’s importance culturally and politically. The Carolina Room staff understand that today’s culture is tomorrow’s history and actively collects local cookbooks, indie music, and newspapers that represent the varied interests of the county. They then make that collection available and searchable for anyone who is interested. The Carolina Room also makes local archives accessible. The Carolina Room has curated an archival collection of unpublished materials that rivals any other in the southeast. Combing through donations from businesses, civic groups, and everyday people has led the Carolina Room to preserve the history of Mecklenburg County that could, otherwise, be forgotten and lost with time. The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room is an important part of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. It preserves, honors, and increase accessibility to the community’s history and culture. It is more than a gem, it is something to be treasured.
A digital copy of an 1892 map of Charlotte, N.C. The original is a part of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room’s archival collection.
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Embracing Our Strengths Through Major Initiatives
There is something for everyone at the Library. CML initiatives help children, teens, and adults access information, expand their love of reading, and engage with the community.
A Community That Reads Together
One Number Equals Access
Take the Summer Break Challenge Summer Break is the Library’s annual summer learning program that encourages children to read, learn, and explore. Participants who completed activities from the Summer Break Challenge earned badges and were eligible for prizes like free books and tickets to Carowinds and a Charlotte Football Club match. In 2024, the community read over 9.5 million minutes and logged over 66,000 activities. Welcome PuppetPalooza Sometimes fun and unconventional methods are needed to improve lives and instill a love of learning. In February 2024, CML hosted its first PuppetPalooza at nationally-renowned children’s library ImaginOn. The event was a celebration showcasing the diverse and captivating art of puppetry. This free event for all ages was presented in partnership with Sigmon Theatrical and featured a live dinosaur show, early literacy skills activities, music-filled shows, and more.
Helping the Library Help the Community Year after year, Library volunteers provide thousands of hours annually to help the Library fulfill its mission. In FY2024, CML had 1,235 volunteers provide more than 27,000 hours of service. These hours are not merely numerical figures; they represent tangible impacts that have touched countless lives. Navigating technology, nurturing literary skills, shelving books, prepping for book sales, and stocking Little Free Libraries across Mecklenburg County are just a few of the things CML volunteers do. These volunteers include a special group called VolunTeens. They are responsible young adults – ages 13-17 – who enjoy giving back and helping the Library deliver collections, programs, and resources to the community. They earn service hours and learn more about a possible career at the Library through hands-on experience. The Library is fortunate that so many make the organization a priority when deciding where to give their time. The Library brings the community together. Every March, CML hosts Community Read where the organization provides a signature title and a few supporting titles related to a specific theme. The community joins in by reading the title together and participates in discussions, book clubs and events hosted by the Library and community partners. The 2024 theme was “Food as a Connector” featuring the signature title Buttermilk Graffiti by Edward Lee. There were 233 systemwide programs for all age groups throughout the month. The Library coupled the community read with a partnership to help connect people to food resources. Food insecurity is prevalent and partnering with the Hope Street Food Pantry allowed the Library to support and meet a pertinent need in communities across Mecklenburg County. The Library facilitated food distribution events at eight Library branches and served more than 1,000 families.
ONE Access allows students in local colleges, charter and private schools, home schools, and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools to have access to Library resources with their school identification numbers instead of separate Library cards. More than 76,000 students used their ONE Access account during the 2023-2024 school year. Reading Is EPIC Fun EpicFest is an extraordinary, free literary festival that connects children, teens, and families with books and the people who write them. The joyful event provides activities that encourage a love of reading and learning. Now in its seventh year, EpicFest welcomes nationally recognized children’s and young adult authors and illustrators to spend two days in Charlotte sharing their latest books, experiences, and passion for libraries with kids of all ages. In FY2024, EpicFest reached 4,785 people, an almost 2,000 person increase over FY2023.
EpicFest
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Building a Stronger Community
“A library is a house of hope.”
- Karen Batchelor, Lawyer, Activist, and Genealogist
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library values openness, respect, and inclusion. That means we provide a friendly, helpful learning environment that supports free access to Library resources and the exchange of information. Simply put, we help the community grow and thrive.
Growing Our Library System
Years ago, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library made a commitment to the public to re-imagine and build a new Man Library that will be an innovative combination of resources, collaborative spaces, technology, and cultural experiences. The new iconic structure in Uptown Charlotte will be built on the same site where the original Carnegie Library – the first free library in Mecklenburg County – stood in 1903. The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance reported that 117 people moved to the Charlotte region daily during July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023. The new Main Library will help ensure our growth meets the growth of the community. It will be a state-of-the-art facility spread over five floors with an immersive theater, innovation lab, career center, new resident welcome
center, the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, 15 meeting rooms, a café, event space, and of course, books.More importantly, it will be a free, open, and accessible information hub that welcomes everyone. CML hosted a demolition event of the old location in August 2023 with the help of U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio and a host of elected officials, dignitaries, and guests. While one building was being taken down, another was breaking ground. The Library broke ground on a new location for University City Regional Library. This new location will be the largest regional library in the system, easily accessible, and filled with customer amenities. The project was supported by a
$39.6 million capital investment by the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners. Both locations will have a tremendous impact on the community as citizens will have new Library locations to come together, explore opportunities, and learn.We anticipate opening the Main Library and University City Regional Library in 2026 and 2025, respectively.
picture of NML or UC rendering?
Above: University City Regional Library Rendering, Architect: Gensler Left: New Main Library Rendering, Architect: Snøhetta
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The Living Archives: A Legacy for Charlotte Charlotte Mecklenburg Library acted as the convener, project lead, and ultimate home for a project that told the emotional stories of COVID-19. The Living Archives project diligently sought to collect, preserve, and share the challenges and triumphs that Mecklenburg County residents experienced during the pandemic. Founded by the Library, Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, Johnson C. Smith University, and the Levine Museum of the New South, the project engaged over 2,500 individuals. It concentrated on the stories of historically marginalized communities and identified key demographic groups including students, the elderly, families, immigrants, veterans, essential workers, and other people and professions that suffered the most under the shutdown. Seventeen community organizations collaborated with the Living Archives and collected over 436 stories through various media – primarily audio- visual, but also poetry, creative, and written works – in English or Spanish. The stories reflected Mecklenburg County’s demographics and were showcased through a traveling exhibit; a dedicated YouTube channel; and community events and programming, including a mural. The collected narratives are now preserved in CML’s Robinson- Spangler Carolina Room. The initiative was funded by The Duke Endowment, Mellon Foundation, NC Humanities, Digital Public Library of America, and Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation.
Novant Health Wellness Hub Powerful Partnerships Through a strategic social determinants of health, advance health equity, and to initiate a sustainable impact across our communities. In this collaboration, Novant Health Community Health Services is establishing trusted relationships with Library customers with dedicated hours at three Library branches: Allegra Westbrooks, Hickory Grove and West Boulevard. The programming and services include health screenings and immunizations via the mobile medical unit, as well as various health education programs. Both organizations are considering more Library locations as wellness hubs. DigiLit + AARP Through partnerships with organizations such as AARP and the Center for Digital Equity, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library offers a variety of free digital literacy partnership with Novant Health, we aim to address programs for both beginners and those looking to enhance their technology skills. Classes are offered online and at select Library locations. In FY2024, the Library’s Tech Titans 50+ program helped nearly 650 older adults learn valuable digital skills and gain technological independence. Hundreds of seniors have attended the program.
Taking a Strategic Approach
CML has taken a bold step to charting a new path for the organization. The Library is developing a new strategic direction that will inform the work it will do in FY2026-2028 to help achieve its mission. First the Library received feedback from 4,000 people within the community, including staff, about what they want and need from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. CML learned that the public wants a library that is a gathering place for the entire community that provides access to a wide range of materials, programs, and resources. The Library intends to complete the strategic direction plan in FY2025.
in Uptown Charlotte until the new Main Library is open. CML funded electronic resources and digital collections to serve high-need populations, with an emphasis on Spanish language resources. The Library also improved its digital literacy program and contracted instructors to deliver classes in English and Spanish. Equity, Inclusion & Intellectual Freedom Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is focused on improving and enhancing Library operations and practices as they relate to equity and inclusion. Becoming more equitable and inclusive across the system demonstrates the Library’s commitment to continued growth as a 21st century library. Leading with an equity lens helps the Library recruit and retain staff that represent the communities CML serves and provides the ability to offer programming that celebrates the widely diverse population of Mecklenburg County. The Library’s dedication to equity and inclusion is supported by its commitment to intellectual freedom. In FY2024, CML’s board of trustees crafted a statement that exhibits the Library’s unwavering support of the role and value of public libraries. It is crucial that all citizens have open access to materials, information and resources of varying viewpoints so that they can decide for themselves what corresponds to their needs and beliefs.
Closing the Digital Divide
Early Voting Site
The Library has been providing its locations as early voting sites for more than 20 years. This first came about when the Mecklenburg County Board
In January 2023 the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners awarded Charlotte Mecklenburg Library $2.9 million in American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funding to help advance Mecklenburg County’s COVID-19 Strategic Recovery Plan. The Library task was to help close the digital divide in our community more quickly. CML used ARPA funds to increase the community’s access to technology – focusing on older adults, the Latino community, and those seeking jobs or skills that will help them advance their career. In FY2024 the Library purchased an additional outreach vehicle, called the Mobile Internet Lab or MiLa. MiLa will provide technology and workforce development programs for adults. It will also supplement digital literacy and workforce services during Library closures and provide those services
of Elections began early voting in 2001. Quickly, the Library became a popular place for the community to vote before Election Day. Early voting is important to CML as it allows the Library to be a part of a vital civic event that greatly impacts the community. Partnering with the Board of Elections also enables CML to support the community by making the act of voting more approachable and accessible.
Intellectual Freedom Statement Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is committed to protecting the First Amendment’s guarantee of free and open access to information and ideas – a principle vital to our democracy and to each individual’s search for knowledge. We seek to provide our diverse community with a comprehensive collection of materials and programs providing a wide range of knowledge and perspectives.
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Financial Report
FY2024 Library by the Numbers
FY2024 Budget $53,792,130 Revenue
70%
of Mecklenburg County residents stated that they had visited a Library location in the last 12 months*
Mecklenburg County
$47,145,138
State of of North Carolina
$682,386
ABC Board
$860,733
WiFi Usage 656,783 Times Accessed
Programs 20,670 475,057 Programs Program Attendance
Library Visitors 2,261,354
Federal
$2,897,842
Other Revenue
$2,206,031
MoLi 30,958
Library Cardholders 341,412 11.3% Active Cardholders Growth in Active Cardholders**
Expenses
691 28 Circulation Programs Delivered Program Attendance
14,288 460,769 Virtual In-Person
Salaries & Benefits
$36,346,355`
Library Collections
$8,038,522
Facility Related
Materials Borrowed
$3,752,264
3,971,326 8,675,973 Digital Circulation Total Circulation
42.7% 36.0% Growth in Digital Circulation** Growth in Circulation**
Programming
$680,503
Other Operating Expense
$4,974,486
July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024
* According to the 2024 Mecklenburg County Community Survey ** Growth is recorded from FY2023 to FY2024
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Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation Turning Aspirations into Achievements Private donor support drives growth with purpose and innovation, allowing the Library to enhance services and programming, grow our branches to meet community need, and engage with our Library customers in meaningful and life-changing ways.
Major Initiatives Grant for New Strategic Development
Flight Fund was established by the Foundation in FY2023 to provide microgrant opportunities exclusively for Library staff to develop programming based on community need. With 100% donor support, Flight Fund has launched 30 new and enhanced programs for the Library including: participants this year and champion a lifelong love of reading. New event PuppetPalooza was supported by a Flight Fund grant and is slated to become an annual attraction. Flight Fund Grants for Library Staff The Foundation received a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to fund the development of a new strategic direction for the Library. The areas of focus were developed via internal and public surveys and expert analysis, were unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees, and will guide the work of the Library for FY2026-2028. The plan will be shared in early 2025. Funding for Popular Programming Donor gifts funded popular Library programs and launched new ideas. Community Read, Summer Break and EpicFest attracted thousands of
$165M
$151,484,978
raised to $165M goal 92%
Author Roxane Gay
June 30, 2024
We are in the final stages of the CommonSpark. The new Main Library construction is proceeding on schedule as foundational elements are being finalized for a 2026 opening. During FY2024, more than $5.2 million was raised toward the comprehensive goal of $165 million for a total raised-to-date of $151,484,978 for the CommonSpark, a public-private partnership that addresses an integrated set of needs including: a new Main Library with an innovative combination of resources, collaborative spaces, technology, and cultural experiences; Library Administration Center; systemwide technology, innovation and programming; an endowment for future needs; and annual operating support.
Over 800 participants from 150 book clubs across Mecklenburg County competed in Book Club Madness, a free month-long game to win a table at Verse & Vino. Four weekly challenges focused on increasing an understanding of the immense scope of Library services and gaining new supporters. Book Club Madness Engages Charlotte’s Most Prolific Readers Verse & Vino Celebrates its 10th Anniversary with A-list Authors Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation celebrated our tenth year of literature, libations, and libraries in the Charlotte Convention Center at Verse & Vino on November 2, 2023, sponsored by PNC. With a sell-out crowd of 1,300 people in attendance, the event raised over $630,000. We were joined by emcee Sheri Lynch and five outstanding New York Times bestselling authors: Melanie Benjamin, Roxane Gay, Sadeqa Johnson, Etaf Rum, and Brad Taylor.
$114,660,064 November 2021
$97,993,639 October 2020
$78,452,329 October 2018
$60M
• Women’s Health in the Second Half of Life Program Series • Neurodiverse Sensory Storytime • Loft Leaders Academy • Black Families Swimming Together with McCrory YMCA • WelcomeCLT Naturalization Ceremony • Edible Landscapes
As of June 30, 2024
Notable Gifts include: second gifts from The Leon Levine Foundation and Gambrell Foundation, Sally and Bob Miller, Marsh Foundation, Fifth Third, Crandall and Erskine Bowles, and U.S. Federal and N.C. State Funding.
The Carnegie Circle recognizes Library supporters who contribute $1,000 or more in annual support and honors the legacy of philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who built libraries around the world, including ours in Charlotte in 1903. Marking a Milestone 300 Carnegie Circle Members
To learn more about these and other Flight Fund programs, scan the QR code.
Library CEO Marcellus Turner at Carnegie Circle appreciation event sponsored by the Gambrell Foundation featuring acclaimed social scientist Dacher Keltner
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Acknowledgements Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation Board Charlotte Mecklenburg Library would like to acknowledge these individuals for helping the Library “improve lives and build a stronger community.”
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board of Trustees Ailen Arreaza Peggy Brookhouse Stacey Brown Jon Buchan Amy Hawn Nelson
Stephanie Alger Jennifer Appleby Joclyn Balanda Jennifer Bennett Gene Cochrane
LeRoy Davis Sarah Dodd Barb Ellis Selena Giovannelli Rob Harrington Patricia Johnson Pete Keane Helen Hope Kimbrough Elizabeth Kiser Gina Lawrence Kellie Lofton Alessandro Morante Caton Morris Sally Robinson
Joe Helweg Mark Kutny
Kimmery Martin Tracy Montross Preethi Srinivasan Charles Thomas Ricky Woods
Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners Leigh Altman Pat Cotham George Dunlap
Debra Sharp Marcey Stone Holly Stubbing Charles Thomas Caroleen Towery Marcellus Turner Cristina Wilson Liz Winer
Arthur Griffin Mark Jerrell Vilma Leake
Laura Meier Elaine Powell Susan Rodriguez-McDowell
Mecklenburg County Leadership County Manager Dena Diorio
Deputy County Managers Michael Bryant Leslie Johnson Derrick Ramos Anthony Trotman
To learn more about Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, visit cmlibrary.org
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