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 The Carolina Room has curated an archival collection of unpublished materials that rivals any other in the southeast.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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