HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 05-05-2009 - 6aORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: May 5, 2009
Action Agen a
Item No. ~-q_
SUBJECT: Orange County Library North Carolina Room (Local History Collection)
DEPARTMENT: Library
PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No
ATTACHMENT(S):
1) Executive Report (Including Attachments A-I)
2) Floor Plan New Library W. Margaret Lane
(To be Provided at the Meeting)
INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lucinda Munger, Library Services Director,
245-2528
PURPOSE: To present an Executive Report on the Local History Collection currently located in
the North Carolina Room of the Whiffed Library (Attachment 1), to illustrate the future placement
of a core collection in the new library facility on West Margaret Lane (Attachment 2), to begin a
dialogue on how best to use money left to the Library from Miss Rebecca Wall to sustain a core
collection, and to initiate the formal process for naming a meeting room in the new library for
Miss Wall.
BACKGROUND: The main branch of the Orange County Library, currently located in the
Whitted Building, contains a "North Carolina Room" dedicated to local and regional history
referred to as the "Local History Collection". The Collection includes genealogical and historical
materials for local and out-of-area researchers such as census, microfilm, vertical files
(containing local history and genealogy clippings), newspapers and local history reference
materials. During the design process for the new library on West Margaret Lane, there was
background discussion but no formal Board decision on building a separate facility, to serve as a
"Heritage Center". The proposed Heritage Center, a standalone building, was deemed a more
suitable repository for the Collection and similar materials currently housed in the Burwell
School and the Orange County Museum. Because of plans for a separate facility, the new
Margaret Lane library was not designed with a special room for the Collection. Now that the
Library is getting ready to relocate from the Whitted Building to the new facility on West
Margaret Lane questions have emerged regarding the future home of the Collection and the
future development of a Heritage Center.
Since January 2009, Library management and staff have worked with specialists and librarians
from state agencies and local libraries on evaluating the Collection, providing input on a "core"
collection, and collaborating on preservation efforts. The organizations represented were State
Library Archives, State Library Government and Heritage Library, UNC Wilson Library NC
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Collection curator, Durham Public Library, May Memorial Public Library, Gunn Memorial Public
Library, Person County Public Library and Leland Little Auction House.
The specialists affirmed the goals of:
Public accessibility;
Best preservation and protection practices for long-term sustainability.
The findings and conclusions of Library management and staff, assisted by specialists
and consulting librarians, are detailed in the Executive Report attached. A summary is
shown below:
1) Assign to the State Archives those original documents that have been stored away
and unavailable for public access due to age and deteriorating condition
These items are archival in nature and should be housed in a proper repository. The State
Archives has provided a letter identifying these documents and the statutes. that govern the
transfer (Attachment C, Executive Report). These documents will be preserved and
digitized in order to make them widely accessible via their website. These items include
sheriff's records, trial court records, justice dockets, and execution dockets.
2) Offer at the new library facility on W Margaret Lane a focused "core collection" of
local histories and genealogy documents (guided by recommendations of the state
genealogist).
The Library would remove outdated research materials, duplicates, and items now available
through online electronic databases such as: Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest. These
databases provide additional documentation that may be unavailable in sources such as
draft records of WWI and WWII, records of birth, death and marriages, Revolutionary War
Era Pension and Bounty -Land Warrant Application Files, and "Freedman Bank Records" -
from following the Civil War.
3) Maintain the "core collection" under minimum preservation practices.
4) Locate the "core collection" "In the new library facility on the 2"d floor adjacent to
the reference desk.
This will provide enhanced professional support, service and security from the Reference
Librarians, who will be located within 15 - 20 feet from the collection. The area will also
provide patrons with comfortable seating and tables for research, microfilm printer /reader
access, as well as a dedicated computer for database searches. The current vertical file
cabinet will be placed in the vicinity of the reference area for additional resource sharing.
The staff will also be working to develop guides to using the collection/databases, other area
collections and begin work on a new library website page that will include additional state
and national historical/genealogical information resources.
5) Insure the Confederate Triad lithograph for the estimated value of $1,000
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6) Use interest earning from the Rebecca Wall will to provide financial support for
preserving, protecting, and making acquisitions to the "core collection."
Miss Rebecca Wall bequeathed the Library $50,000 in 1986 for the support and development of
the North Carolina Room Local History Collection. These funds held in an interest bearing
account have now grown to approximately $134,500. Attorney Geoff Gledhill has advised the
exact intent of the Wall will was unclear. The Library wishes to use the interest earnings to
provide financial support related to preservation, protection, and acquisition for the "core
collection" as discussed. It would also provide additional staff training in historical collections,
provide funds for matching grants in order to provide on-going programming honoring Miss Wall
and serving as a stimulus for economic tourism development. Examples, of special
programming would be research symposiums, history related lectures, exhibits, and an award
honoring scholarly research or preservation projects. Additional donations could be solicited to
create a `living legacy.'
As stipulated by Miss Wall in her will, the Library would:
• Dedicate the large meeting room on the main floor in Rebecca Wall's honor, this naming
process to be presented at the next board meeting
• Display in the meeting room the portrait of Thomas Ruffin's law office, painted on a tray
by Miss Wall.
If desired, the Board could continue to explore a proposed Heritage Center to encompass
community assets from Burwell School, Alliance for Historic Hillsborough and Hillsborough
Museum in the future. The scope, organization, financing and administration, collection
development, and public/private support for a proposed Heritage Center should be carefully
evaluated among potential partners. Such a facility could become the focus for increased
tourism and economic development within Orange County .and enhance the historical
importance and experience of Hillsborough.
During the last Assembly of Governments (AOG) meeting on March 26 it was decided the Chair
and Mayors would meet to determine how to move forward on library issues. At the Board
meeting on April 21 Chair Valerie Foushee indicated libraries would be the principal topic of the
AOG meeting on September 24. In preparation Orange County and Chapel Hill library staffs
have been asked to initiate discussions regarding the Library Services Task Force Reports and
recommendations from 2000, 2004 and 2007. The results of their review and expert
recommendations will be presented in an update to the Board on June 15, 2009. County
management suggests the Board consider using the work session on August 20 to focus
primarily on libraries in advance of the AOG meeting.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: Recommendations within the Executive Report carry immediate
operational costs that can be accommodated within existing Library resources. The Rebecca
Wall bequest provides approximately $134,500 for the ongoing support of the North Carolina
Room Local History Collection.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board:
1. Receive the attached Executive Report on the Local History Collection currently housed in
the North Carolina Room of the Whitted Library,
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2. Authorize staff to transfer those items that require archival storage to the North Carolina
State Archives in accordance with the procedure outlined in the Executive Report,
3. Approve recommendation by staff to relocate a"'core collection" (the remaining materials
and bulk of the Collection) to the new library facility on West Margaret Lane,
4. Approve using the Rebecca Wall bequest in support of the "core collection" as described
in the agenda abstract,
5. Initiate the process of formally naming the meeting room in the new library facility for
Rebecca Wall in accordance to the Orange County Property Naming Policy adopted on
March 3, 2009,
6. Agree to explore the proposed Heritage Center concept at a future date, and
7. Agree to use the work session on August 20 to deal primarily with Library services.
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Executive Report Library NC Room History Collection
The main branch of the Orange County Library, currently located in the Whiffed Building,
contains a "North Carolina Room" dedicated to local and regional history. This History
Collection includes genealogical and historical materials for local and out-of-area
researchers such as census, microfilm, vertical files, newspaper and local history
reference materials. During the design process for the new library on West Margaret
Lane, there was talk of building a separate facility to serve as a Heritage Center. This
standalone building was deemed as a more suitable repository for the History Collection
and similar materials currently housed in the Burwell School and the Orange County
Museum. Because of the plans for a separate facility, the new Margaret Lane library
was not designed with a special room for the North Carolina Room History Collection.
Now that the Library is getting ready to relocate its collections from the Whiffed Building
to the new facility on West Margaret Lane questions have emerged regarding the
placement of the materials in History Collection.
In preparation for the move from the Whiffed facility to the W Margaret Lane facility,
library management and staff have met and collaborated with specialists in the archival,
historical preservation, and genealogical fields regarding accessibility to and
preservation of the NC Room local history collection.
While this report does not address the future of a possible Heritage Center, it will give
the BOCC:
1) The chronology of the development and discussions regarding the Heritage
Center from 2000 to present, Attachment A
2) Final report concerning the NC Room collection and its possible move to the new
facility.
In the Library Task Force Report of 2000, there was a recommendation to establish a
"Heritage Center" either in a new or expanded facility to accommodate historical records.
In this report, the task force defined the "Center" as a facility which houses the records of
the Social Services Department, the Health Department, the NC Room of the Orange
County Public Library and the collections of the Historic Hillsborough Commission
(Burwell School), the Hillsborough Historical Society, and the Orange County Historical
Museum. The report also estimated costs for implementation of the facility with
additional staff as $507,500, including annual operational cost of $70,000. While the
Heritage Center remained an important recommendation throughout the Library Services
Task Forces of 2000, 2004 and 2007, there was no action taken by the BOCC to
approve and appropriate funding as part of the 10-year Orange County CIP for a
Heritage Center. Attachment B
The materials in the NC Room currently housed in the main library in the Whiffed facility,
developed as a loosely organized collection which is comprised of 1748 catalogued
items. This room was not intended to be an archival collection, because we do not have
the proper archival processing and facilities to maintain and preserve these materials for
future generations. From time to time, the library received donated materials for this
room from individuals. These donations included items such as family histories and
materials pertaining to general NC reference. We also received donations in 2004 and
2008 from the Durham Orange Genealogical Society (D-OGS) totaling $1,000. These
funds have been utilized to obtain certain missing titles, expand the census materials to
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include other NC counties for 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 on microfilm and expand the
abstracts of Orange and related counties. No county funds have been expended on the
collection.
Beginning this January, staff has met with specialists from the State Archives,
Government and Heritage Library of the NC State Library, and curator of the NC
Collection at UNC Wilson Library. We have collaborated with librarians from Gunn
Memorial Public Library, Person County Public Library, Durham County Library, and May
Memorial Public Library (Alamance County). Leland Little owner of Leland Little
Auctions was requested to provide an appraisal of the Confederate lithograph. In
addition a formal inventory of materials in the current NC Room at the Main Library was
generated and an inventory of materials that would be housed in the reference collection
in the new library facility on W Margaret Lane is also being completed. County attorney
Geoff Gledhill was asked to provide a formal opinion regarding the intention of the
Rebecca Wall bequest.
Archival Visit: During the meeting with the specialists, Becky McGhee-Lankford and
Elizabeth Preston from the State Archives in Feburary 2009, an evaluation of the
materials was completed by the archivists. They then collaborated with the staff on a
Library Action Plan that would address the twin goals of 1) Public accessibility to the
collection; as well as 2) Best preservation and protection practices for the long-term
sustainability of this collection. The plan included the State Archives working with the
County to ensure that appropriate efforts occur for the preservation of documents,
contacting the State Genealogy Library for further evaluation of general NC genealogical
materials, contacting the UNC curator of the NC Collection at UNC Wilson, and
establishing an inventory of items in the Orange County Public Library general reference
collection in the new library facility. The county and staff would work with the State
Archives to transition the original documents that have been unavailable for public
access due to age and condition. The state will digitize these documents and make
them accessible via their website. They were found within other county departments and
delivered to the library and include: sheriffs records, trial court records, justice dockets,
and execution dockets. These documents have been housed in archival boxes located
in a closet at the main library's meeting room for at least 5 years. Attachment C (1 Sz 2)
Genealogy Visit: The genealogy specialist, Pam Toms, from the NC State Library -
Government and Heritage Library, agreed that a choice selection of the local history
collection can be housed in the new facility on W Margaret Lane providing a `core
collection' for researchers and interested general public. This collection as defined by
the genealogist would contain: histories from local areas and genealogy documents.
Generally, genealogy research utilizes historical county information. In North Carolina,
Orange County's boundaries have changed over the past three centuries. The counties
that would be represented in the `core collection' would be Orange County's `parent
county' and those that originated from Orange County. These counties are: Orange,
Caswell, Person, Granville, Durham, Alamance, Chatham, Guilford, Rockingham,
Randolph, and Wake. The specialist suggested steps in paring down the collection such
as removing duplicates, items already found in the current non-circulating reference
collection and removal of items already available through online electronic databases
such as: Ancestry.com, ArchiveGrid and Heritage Quest. Reference staff would be
available for assistance and guidance with these resources.
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• HeritageQuest provides selected records of Revolutionary War Era Pension and
Bounty -Land Warrant Application Files. Additionally, it provides "Freedman
Bank Records" -which was founded to serve African Americans following the
Civil War.
• Ancestry.com provides an extended coverage of the U.S. Census, not covered in
Heritage Quest. Additionally, it provides draft records of WWI and WWII, when
available. Records of birth, death and marriages are also available through
Ancestry.cdm.
• ArchiveGrid provides access to detailed archival collection descriptions. It
includes nearly a million descriptions of archival collections held by thousands of
libraries, museums, historical societies and archives worldwide.
Attachment D
Curator NC Collection -UNC Wilson Library Visit Staff met with Eileen McGrath, the
curator of the NC Collection of UNC Wilson Library. The curator reviewed the materials
in the NC Room collection and found them to be historical in nature, however she found
no unique items in the collection. The curator also mentioned that minimum
preservation practices were acceptable for the materials housed in the new library.
Attachment E
Leland Little Auction Visit: The library received an appraisal of the Confederate Triad
currently on display in the NC Room from Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales. While
being considered unique, if not rare, it is still considered a "clever novelty" that might
have been commissioned for a gathering of Confederate veterans or for display at an
exposition. They value it at $1,000 based upon today's auction market. A copy of this
appraisal has been provided to Pam Jones for insurance purposes. Attachment F
Rebecca Wall bequest: Attorney Geoff Gledhill reviewed the will and bequest of
Rebecca Wall as well as Orange County Library Board minutes to determine the funding
designations and possible use of the funds received and invested since 1986.
Will stipulations
"I will, devise and bequeath to the Orange County Confederate Memorial Public Library
of Hillsborough, North Carolina, the sum of Fifty Thousand and no/100 Dollars ($50, 000)
provided that a History Room in the said library, whether in the existing library building
presently being used or in any other building to be used by the said library as a library,
be names and designated as "Rebecca 8 Wall Room". A portrait of Thomas Ruffin's law
office, shown on a round tray and painted by me to be displayed in the said "Rebecca B
Wall Room"."
Library Board minutes of October 13, 1982 -excerpt
"Mrs. Massey told the Board about a conversation with Mr. Osterman in which he
asserted that Miss Wall was planning to leave a sizeable bequest to the Orange County
Public Library upon her death if certain conditions were met by the library board. The
board directed Mrs. Massey to meet with Lonnie Coleman, Miss Wall's attorney, to find
out if there is additional information the board should have concerning the bequest."
Library Board minutes of January 20, 1983 -excerpt
"Under unfinished business Mrs. Massey reported on her conversation with Mr. Lonnie
Coleman in which he assured her that Miss Rebecca Wall did intend to make a sizeable
contribution to the Orange County Public Library upon her death. Mrs. Massey showed
the Board the hand-painted plaque which Miss Wall has already given to the library.
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According to Mr. Coleman, the terms of Miss Wall's bequest will be easy for this library
board or any subsequent library board to meet. Miss Wall wants an area of the library
(not necessarily with walls) to be designated the Rebecca Wall History Room and for the
plaque to be on display in Phis area/"
Mr. Gledhill advised that the intent of the Wall will was unclear. The only way to be
certain would be to seek a declaratory judgment in court and have a judge provide the
opinion. While this would require a fee, it is not an uncommon practice for institutions
and trustees to be absolutely certain that funds and bequests are properly designated.
Mr. Gledhill also indicated that there was nothing in the will or the minutes of the library
board that would assist in this clear opinion. The attorney for Ms. Wall's estate was Mr.
Lonnie Coleman, who is currently a judge, which would preclude him from sharing
additional insight due to attorney client privilege. Attachment G
During the evaluation process library management consulted with local public libraries
who maintain history collections for public access. Staff collected statistics including
population served, accessible hours, size of collection, staff, and budget. The library is
working on a collection development policy that addresses the purpose and scope of this
NC Room local history collection in Orange County Public Library. Attachment H
Earlier this year, in consultation with the design team for the new library, it was decided
that the collection can be placed on the 2"d floor adjacent to the reference desk. This
particular location will provide enhanced professional support, service and security from
the Reference Librarians, who will be located within 15 - 20 feet from the collection. The
area will also provide patrons with comfortable seating and tables for research, microfilm
printer /reader access, as well as a dedicated computer for database searches. The
current vertical file cabinet will also be placed in the vicinity of the reference area. The
staff will also be working to develop guides to using the collection/databases, other area
collections and will be working on a new webpage that will include additional state and
national historical/genealogical information resources.
Ms. Rebecca Wall provided the contribution to the library through her estate in 1986 for
the support and development of the NC Room history collection. The library would
retain in an interest bearing account the principal contribution, which has grown from
$50,000 to $134,500. The interest from the endowment would be responsibly managed
to provide financial support related to preservation, protection, and development of the
Orange County historical collection. It would also provide additional staff training in
historical collections, provide funds for matching grants in order to provide on-going
programming honoring Ms. Wall and serving as a stimulus for economic tourism
development. Examples, of such programming would be research symposiums, history
related lectures, exhibits, and an award honoring scholarly research or preservation
projects. As part of the stipulation of Ms. Wall's will the library would:
• Dedicate the large meeting room on the main floor in Rebecca Wall's honor, this
naming process to be presented at the next board meeting
• Honor bequest by displaying a portrait of Thomas Ruffin's law office, painted on a
tray by Ms. Wall
The Board could further explore the development of a Heritage Center with community
assets from the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough and its other supporting organizations,
such as, the Burwell School and the Hillsborough Museum. These future discussions
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including potential partners can evaluate the scope, administration, collection and public
participation of a proposed Heritage Center. This type of Center could be utilized for
tourism and economic development for Orange County and continue to enhance the
important historical position of Hillsborough, NC.
Attachments:
Attachment A -Chronology /Background of Heritage Center
Attachment B -Library Services Task Force Report 2000 (including the Heritage Center
recommendation)
Attachment C - 1 -Recap of Archival Visit & 2 - NC Dept of Cultural Resources, Office
of Archives correspondence
Attachment D -Recap of Genealogy Visit
Attachment E -Recap of Curator Visit
Attachment F -Leland Little Appraisal
Attachment G -Rebecca Wall Will and Bequest with library board minutes
Attachment H -Matrix of local history collections in neighboring public libraries
Attachment I - W. Margaret Lane Floor Plan
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MEMORANDUM
TO: Board of County Commissioners
FROM: Gwen Harvey Assistant County Manager
Lucinda Munger, Orange County Library Director
RE: NC Room /Heritage Center -Additional Background for the
Board. of County Commissioners (BOCC)
DATE: May 5, 2009
The Heritage Center has been an item of discussion since the original inception
in the Library Services Task Force 2000. During the Task Force discussions, an
Archival Task Force was formed to evaluate and coordinate the preservation and
access of historical collections in downtown Hillsborough, in particular the
Burwell School, the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough, the Hillsborough Museum,
the Orange County Library NC Room, and the Orange County Register of Deeds.
Due to the passage of time and three evaluations of this type of facility in Library
Services Task Forces 2000, 2004 and 2007, we thought it helpful to convey
additional background and perhaps greater context as the BOCC considers this
item again. Our close review of previous BOCC agenda materials and minutes
(dating back to June 2000) permit us to provide the following chronology of
events and conclusions we hope will assist the BOCC in its decision-making.
All documentation for the chronology of events is available from the
Library Director.
June 6, 2000
BOCC appointed a Library Services Task Force `to evaluate branch library
proposals currently on-the-table, examine the adequacy of the county's current
facilities and make recommendations about potential future library sites."
September 2000
The Archival Task Force met to discuss collections and opportunities of a
merged collection. The Archival Task Force was comprised of the Historic
Hillsborough Commission (Burwell School), Hillsborough Historical Society,
Orange County Deeds and Records (Register of Deeds), Orange County
Historical Museum, and Orange County Library (NC Room). During the meeting
it was discussed key to the task force study, "is to find a place to house all of
these resources." In order to determine size, "this group should begin to assess
what is in place at the Burwell School, Museum and Historical Society." In
addition, there was a question as to "who would own the materials in this facility if
all of the collections are merged."
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January 22, 2001
The BOCC received a letter from the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough to the
Commissioners requesting that the expansion or relocation of the NC Room
facility in the library. In the letter the Archival Task Force specifically identified
the following areas of concern: the nature and extent of the various collections;
conservation issues; accessibility to collections; and space requirements.
January 22, 2001
A Library Services Task Force meeting was held. As a part of the agenda, the
Archival Collection Task Force was discussed. The Archival Task Force
representative indicated at the meeting that, `the NC Room does not have
sufficient space to house the collection. It was noted that it would require
possibly three to four times the space that the NC Room occupies to house the
collection.' The Library Services Task Force indicated in their minutes that
`20,000 square feet would be needed for archival space.'
November 13, 2001
BOCC received the final report from the Library Services Task Force of 2000.
The report stated "a new or expanded facility could accommodate all these
important records. The Total Estimated Cost with staff is $507,500. On page
15, the recommendations list The Orange County Heritage Center be built
(perhaps on the deconstructed site of Orange Enterprises) to house the records
of the Social Services Department, the Health Department, the NC Room of the
Orange County Public Library and the collections of the Historic Hillsborough
Commission (Burwell School), the Hillsborough Historical Society, and the
Orange County Historical Museum. The center will protect and make historic
records available to the public." No adoption of the report is recorded in the
BOCC minutes. In the minutes, Commissioner Jacobs refers to "the $112,000
endowment for the Heritage Center and that staff may want to look at this in
relation to the space needs study and see how the proposed heritage center
might fit in with the plans for the Whiffed area."
November 15. 2001
The Archival Task Force met to discuss a draft letter to the commissioners
regarding expanding space for the NC Room collection. The State Library
digitizing project was on the agenda, as well as the museum database program
called PastPerfect, which allows small institutions to catalogue their collections.
January 30, 2002
The Archival Collection Task Force met to recap to date the plans and to provide
direction for a future meeting. The group determined that they were not prepared
at this point to apply for a digitization project, but rather a planning grant, since so
many are in the midst of basic cataloguing. It was suggested that two important
issues are at hand, "to consolidate or not and gaining an understanding of each
collection."
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December 9, 2003
During the December 9th special BOCC meeting, the BOCC had heard from the
Friends of the Library of the reduction in usable size at the main facility and was
concerned. Following the special meeting, a regularly scheduled BOCC meeting
was held. Barry Jacobs requested during Board comments that "in reference to
the renovation of the library space in the Whitted Building, the Library Task Force
needs to be reactivated.... The task force would talk about the future of the
library."
February 3, 2004
The BOCC reconved the Library Services Task Force of 2004 to review the
recommendations from the Library Services Task Force Report of 2000
submitted to the Board of County Commissioners in November 2001. The
charge to the Task Force was to "review the November 2001 Report and to
subsequently make recommendations to improve library services /facilities in
Orange County specifically related to the expansion of the Central Library in
Hillsborough and the branch library in Carrboro."
August 18, 2004
As part of the re-convened Library Services Task Force, the Chair of the Task
Force met with the Archival Task Force to review and evaluate the Heritage
Center recommendation of 2001. On page 2, the Museum representative
indicated "that the artifacts that are at the Museum will stay at the museum,
unless there is a combined Heritage Center /Museum." In this meeting the
group defined the organizational structure of a Heritage Center on page 3, "some
library services retained, flexible use of the center, gathering space for
symposiums and speaker, meeting room(s), small auditorium with kitchen
attached, opportunities for artists displays, security including lockers of visitor
bags, strict research environment, the assessed value of the collection should
equal the amount of security, identify parts of collection that are most valuable an
keep in separate area, need adequate staffing including an archivist and a
librarian, need an archival preservation and use policy, need non-public space for
processing successions. The use policy was discussed extensively." There was
support to `unanimously consolidate the collections in an accessible and secure
environment, given certain archival policies and procedures are followed.' The
group. also, `discussed the possibility of donations from private family collections
if the facility were adequate and staffed appropriately. Work should be in
partnership with special collections at UNC, communication has already been
established.'
October 19, 2004 - BOCC received the final report from the Library Services
Task Force of 2004. The Final Report addressed the following major areas,
among other opportunities: Construction of a new Central Library; Consolidation
of the Cybrary and McDougle Branch Libraries in Carrboro; Establishment of an
Orange County Heritage Center; and Establishment of a Branch Library to serve
the Efland-Cheeks Township.
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The report stated: Recommendation 5 of 9 is to "Establish an Orange County
heritage center of historical and archival material. There is about $120,000 in an
endowment fund set aside for this purpose." This report was received only.
Commissioner Gordon asked staff to "run cost figures for the recommendations
of the task force and the potential sources of revenue." Commissioner Halkiotis
suggested "putting this on the upcoming agenda for the discussion of space
needs. And that the County should have discussions with the Town of
Hillsborough about contributions to the library." Commissioner Jacobs agreed
with Halkiotis and added that the "Board can start to look at this in terms of space
needs and talk about who is going to work on the long-range plan." John Link
confirmed "that the Board wanted to have this as an item for discussion on
October 25"', as part of the discussion for looking at the funding policy for
capital."
October 25. 2004
A BOCC worksession was held regarding funding policy for capital. The new
main library facility and the Heritage Center were part of the report on space
needs; however, there was no dialogue from the Commissioners in the minutes
directly related to these facilities. There was one library item mentioned by
Commissioner Jacobs who said to "mention the downtown library branch in
Carrboro because it was part of the adopted library plan." To date, the
Commissioners have not adopted the 2000 or 2004 Library services Task Force
reports.
February 2005
The BOCC held their Board retreat. During the retreat Jacobs said, "if there
could note be a bond this year, then the Board needs to address the siting of a
library in the central part of the County. There has not been a decision about
whether it would go with the community college or somewhere else. He does not
want to lose the momentum." Commissioner Halkiotis agreed and "suggested
making this part of the agenda for the meeting with Hillsborough in February
2005."
February 17, 2005
The Town of Hillsborough Board and the BOCC held their joint work session.
During the discussion regarding expanding library services, Jacobs said, "that
they talked in the legislative goals committee about seeking some monies from
beyond the borders of Orange County for the Heritage Center, so that wherever
there is an expanded library facility, there can be one central location for all the
records and artifacts." Commissioner Halkiotis said that, "this is a wonderful
opportunity to collaborate in a similar way that the County did with Carrboro and
the Cybrary. He agrees that the County does not spend enough on library
services. It will take a joint effort." Commissioner Hallman said, "that they have
talked about sharing with the county in the funding. Hillsborough is serious about
this."
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April 14, 2005
The BOCC held a work session on Capital funding included the new library
facility, but did not mention the Heritage Center. During the meeting,
Commissioner Jacobs "noted that one of the recommendations of the Library
Task Force was a library in Carrboro. There needs to be a decision on this." No
other Commissioner weighed in toward this comment.
Sept 13, 2005
The BOCC held a work session regarding Capital Funding Matters including a
Capital Investment Plan worksheet, which included the Carrboro Library and
funding toward the purchase of land. Listed separately were the Heritage Center
and the $112,000 from the Rebecca Wall Fund. There were no direct comments
in the BOCC minutes.
October 17, 2005
A 2004 Facilities Study Group report was presented. In this report, the Property
for a Carrboro Library was a key recommendation. This update indicated that
there would `limited capital funding available to address the priorities set forth in
the Library Task Force report, which also prescribes a large central library facility
in Hillsborough. There was a suggestion to "have the Board to adopt a principle
that encourages the Town to provide partnership funding in order to bring the
library to fruition more quickly." Commissioner Jacobs asked "staff to come back
with a resolution to that effect."
November 15, 2005
The BOCC approved 50/50 Resolutions Requesting the Towns of Hillsborough
and Carrboro to partner 50/50 with the Hyconeechee Regional Library System
and County for the Development of Free-Standing Branch Libraries. These were
signed and sent to the corresponding boards.
June 15, 2006
During a BOCC work session, Commissioner Jacobs suggested "having the
Library Director and other staff work on the possibility of the library at Gravelly
Hill or the community center in Efland."
November 2, 2006
At the BOCC meeting the Public Hearing and consideration for Approval for the
Expanded County Campus Proposal was held. The announcement of the county
campus included a 23, 450 square foot new library facility in Hillsborough, as part
of the $23.4 million project.
December 12, 2006
During the BOCC meeting, Cathleen Turner -Exec Director of the Alliance for
Historic Hillsborough spoke during public comments regarding the new library.
"As this new library will be only 24,000 sq ft, rather than the 34,000 sq ft
recommended, a Heritage Center must be provided. This sort of facility is no
5
/S
longer an optional amenity to be tucked into a corner somewhere, but an
essential requirement with the added benefit that it draws throngs of people to
the area every year." Commissioner Gordon said, "it is important to have a
comprehensive library services plan". She said the task force later on in the
agenda [item to establish the Library Services Task Force 2007] could do this.
She thinks that the group needs to get back to the Board on the comprehensive
plan so that the Board could act on it before it acts further on the debt issuance
schedule."
January 23, 2007
The BOCC established the Library Services Task Force 2007 to review and
update the Library Services Task Force Report of 2004.
December 3. 2007
The Library Services Task Force Report of 2007 was presented to the BOCC,
including the Library Services Standards and Capital & Operational Requests for
the Southwest Regional Branch, the new main facility and the Heritage Center.
These documents were accepted.
May 20.2008
The Library Services Task Force Report of 2007 was presented to the BOCC
The report stated: The Executive Summary focused on three principles:
1) a regional approach;
2) collaborative county-side planning;
3) a 3 - 5 year plan to address immediate needs.
The immediate next steps that were recommended
1) Establishment of the Heritage Center and construction of a
Southwest Regional Library branch;
2) A study of the advantages and disadvantages of a county-
wide jointly operated technical support system.;
3) Ongoing reviews of progress toward meeting library facilities
recommendations and service standards.
Commission Nelson and Gordon motioned to accept the Library Services
Standards and Facilities Needs Matrix and direct county library management to
begin discussions for greater collaboration with the Town of Chapel Hill.
6
The Oran ;e County Heritage Center ~~"q~hm2n`~
A Central Location for archival ~Zaterial
l~
Orange County has many valuable, even irreplaceable, historical records. Cur<ently these
records are scattered and poorly maintained. To preserve and consolidate these records and
make them available for citizen use, an Orange County Heritage Center is proposed.
Currently, collections exist in the I~ol~th Carolina Room (a part of the Orange County Public
Librar~~), the Burwell School (records of the Historic Hillsborough Historical Society, and the
Orange County Historical '1~luseum. h~lost of the records held by the last three organizations
are not cataloged nor are they readily accessible to researchers. Standard conser,~ation
practices are not in place. A task force established by the County Conunissioners in 2000
recommetlded that these resources be consolidated with the records of the county's Social
Services Department and the Health Departi~~ent.
The ?north Carolina. Room holds census records and family histories inbound volumes, on
microfilm, in filing cabinets, in periodical and maps. These materials are cataloged and
available for use on site, A volunteer who is awell-trained ~enealo~ist donates one day a
week to assist patrons. The material with a computer, a copier, and two microfilm readers is
stored in a cramped 360 sq. ft. room. Additional space is needed far shelving and for public
and staff workspace.
r'~ Ile~~' or expanded facility could accommodate, all these important records. The facility
should include secure records storage under proper envirolurlental conditions, workroom
space, a public research area; and space .for necessary equipment -- computers, microform
reader(printers, and copiers.
approximately ~ 100,000 is available from. a private trust fund dedicated to supporting the
~TOrth Carolina Room collection and could be used for a new or expanded facility.
Estimated needs for staffing include $70,000 for 1.5 FTE staff and capital costs as follows:
Renovatiorvl~~e«= construction at 5125 sq. ft.
for 2,500 sq. ft. for the OC Heritage Center
Shelving
Furniture/Equipment casts
Total Estimated Cost
5 350,000
47,500
40,000
S 437,500
Q
~~zb~zoc~~ to
E~ISTI\G ~'~D PROPOSED
~ Number of V'otumes ; Currentl~F 1,600 volumes; periodicals; $0
', linear feet of microfilm: 15 linear feet of
_ _ ~~ertcal tiles
~
;~TUmbrr ol~ Staff ~~ oluntcer 1 da~r per «~eek plus library staff ',
support; 1.~ FTE (proposed) plus library
staff support
-
~
Hours of Operation _
~ . 64 hours per ~~~eek _ _ _--_-,_--
--_
Syuare Footage ~ X60 sy. ft, (current); ?,000 sq. ft. (proposed
for library)
County Contributions S?.000
Private Contributions j 5100.000 + (proposed)
~TUniClk?al COI]trlbLltiorlS ~ ~d M
j Internet :~ecess,~~UY~C..~ ~l~o be developed
- -- -- - --
Public Transportation 'OPT (restricted) i
~I~-ach~-en-~- C
Orange County NC Room Meeting with State Archive Staff - 2/12/09
Becky McGee-Lankford & Elizabeth Preston - State Archives
Lucinda Munger, Kim Sholar, and Andrea Tullos -Orange County Library
Ms. Lankford and Ms. Preston with the State Archives of North Carolina met at the Orange County
Library to review the NC Room inventory and holdings. After an evaluation of the materials the
collection was determined to hold:
• Original documents from the Sheriff, Judicial System, Justice Dockets, Trial Cases and
Abstract Wills
• Orange County materials such as: Abstracts of County Records, Census, Marriages, and
Histories
• Family Histories and General NC Histories
• Civil War, Revolutionary War, and DAR Publications
• School yearbooks and local directories
• Genealogical and NC History Journals
• Replica of the Courthouse with clock tower, built by Mr. Lloyd
• Assorted replicas of County and NC Maps
• NC and History framed portraits & map
The State Archives will transfer all original documents from the Sheriff, Judicial system, Justice
Dockets, Trial Cases and Abstract Wills as necessary for their collection. Items ofnon-interest by the
Archives, will be directed to the County for disposition from the State Archives. The State Archives
also advised the library on digitizing certain records for web access utilizing the Rebecca Wall
Donation. The suggestion was to pursue an NC Echo Digitization Grant along with the donated funds
to accomplish long-term access of certain materials.
Library Action Plan
1) Contact the State Genealogy Library for further evaluation of general NC eg nealogical
materials.
2) Contact the UNC Rare Book Special Collection Librarian. The State Archives suggested this
step based on the evaluation of materials in the NC Room. There are certain items of interest that are
currently housed in the NC Room of the OCPL that would be better preserved in a specialized
collection of this type. The UNC Rare Book Library provides open access to the public, and is located
within the county of Orange.
3) Create an inventory list of items that will be maintained in the OCPL general reference
collection in the new library facility The State Archives suggested that since certain items currently
housed in the NC Room are not rare but still useful in the process of genealogy and historical research,
these items should remain a part of the general collection for OCPL. Along with these book materials
are also microfilm of Orange County newspapers and the microform reader. This inventory will
include the amount of linear shelving space necessary to house this limited collection within the
designated reference area of the new library.
!9
4) Deaccession of the generalized materials for NC „proper and other outlying counties. The State
Archives suggested this accepted practice that provides other collections an opportunity to complete
their holdings and replace damaged items. They further suggested that we provide these materials to
other library historical collections for public access.
5) Contact the Orange County Historical Museum and SocietX. The State Archives suggested that
providing these groups with any Orange County specific newspaper clippings, map reproductions and
other materials would allow for the materials to remain in Orange County. These materials may be
able to add to their current collections for historical data.
~°~ ~n~=
~~ ""~"' hJORTH C.+'kROLINI~
~: DE1~'~F2TMEM1.eT C7 f'
C U LTIJ R~4L
RESOURCES
North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
Beverly Eaves Perdue, Governor
Linda A. Carlisle, Secretary
March 19, 2009
Andrea F Tullos
Assistant to the Director
Hyconeechee Regional Library System
Orange County Public Library
P.O. Box 8181
Hillsborough, NC 27278
Dear Ms. Tullos,
~o
Office of Archives and History
Jeffrey J. Crow, Deputy Secretary
In response to your email dated, March 19, 2009 in which you ask for additional information
concerning "the laws and/or requirements that indicate the types of materials that are mandated that
should reside in the State Archives." I will attempt to point out the relevant laws that give the Dept. of
Cultural Resources (DCR) authority for the ultimate disposition of the public records currently in the
possession of the Orange County Public Library.
G.S. 121, the Archives and History Act, and G.S. 132, the Public Records Law, are the two main
statutes dealing with the management of the records created and maintained by all government
entities in North Carolina. G.S. 132-8, states that "The Department of Cultural Resources shall have
the right to examine into the condition of public records..." in the custody of government officials. At
your request on February 12, 2009, I met with representative of your office to discuss the
preservation issues associated with the records in question. There are several other relevant points
to G.S. 132 and, for you reference, I have attached them to the end of this letter.
Here are the most essential points of G.S. 121. It designates the Dept. of Cultural Resources (DCR)
as the official archival repository for permanent value North Carolina public records created by all
subdivision of NC government. Based on established collecting strategies and best practices in
archival management, the head of the Local Record Unit, Government Records Branch is responsible
for the determination of which local government records should come to the State Archives for
permanent preservation. I, as head of the local record, have determined that the records from the
sheriffs office and clerk of court should be transferred to the State Archives.
G.S. 121-5 (b) also states that, "No person may destroy, sell, loan, or otherwise dispose of any public
record without the consent of the Department of Cultural Resources..." DCR grants the consent for
the destruction and/or transfer of public records to the State Archives for permanent preservation
through approved records retention and disposition schedules. DCR has published retention and
disposition schedules specifically for the management and disposition of records created by the clerk
MAILING ADDRESS: Telephone (919) 807-7350 LOCATION:
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Raleigh, N.C. 27699-4615 Raleigh, N.C. 27601-2823
State Courier 51-81-20
a~
of superior courts office and the sheriff office. In the retention and disposition schedule for the clerk
of superior courts office, the disposition instruction for the records in question is transfer to the State
Archives for permanent preservation. The sheriffs records according to the current retention and
disposition could have been destroyed by the originating agency. However, it is my determination
that these record, due to their historical significance, should be transferred to the State Archives. It
should also be noted that since the records in question are not currently in the possession of the
originating agency, our agency, through a written letter of consent, would authorize the transfer of
these records to the State Archives. Also, it is our determination that the above mentioned public
records should either be transferred to the State Archives (preferred) for permanent preservation or
returned to the originating agency for proper disposition.
Hopefully, the above descriptions of the relevant statutes have provided the necessary clarification. If
you have any additional questions please do not hesitate to contact me. Please also note that I have
attached the relevant citations.
Sincerely,
Becky McGee-Lankford
Head, Local Records Unit
Government Records Branch
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a~
G.S. 121, the Archives and History Act
121-4. Powers and duties of the Department of Cultural Resources.
The Department of Cultural Resources shall have the following powers and duties:
(2) To conduct a records management program, including the operation of a records center or centers
and a centralized microfilming program, for the benefit of all State agencies, and to give advice
and assistance to the .public officials and agencies in matters pertaining to the economical and
efficient maintenance and preservation of public records.
(3) To preserve and administer, in the North Carolina State Archives, such public records as may be
accepted into its custody, and to collect, preserve, and administer private and unofficial historical
records and other documentary materials relating to the history of North Carolina and the territory
included therein from the earliest times. The Department shall carefully protect and preserve such
materials, file them according to approved archival practices, and permit them, at reasonable
times and under the supervision of the Department, to be inspected, examined, or copied:
Provided, that any materials placed in the keeping of the Department under special terms or
conditions restricting their use shall be made accessible only in accordance with such terms or
conditions.
§ 121-5. Public records and archives.
(a) State Archival Agency Designated. -The Department of Cultural Resources shall be the official archival
agency of the State of North Carolina with authority as provided throughout this Chapter and Chapter 132 of the
General Statutes of North Carolina in relation to the public records of the State, counties, municipalities, and other
subdivisions of government.
(b) Destruction of Records Regulated. - No person may destroy, sell, loan, or otherwise dispose of any public
record without the consent of the Department of Cultural Resources, except as provided in G.S. 130A-99. Whoever
unlawfully removes a public record from the office where it is usually kept, or alters, mutilates, or destroys it shall be
guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor and upon conviction only fined at the discretion of the court.
When the custodian of any official State records certifies to the Department of Cultural Resources that such
records have no further use or value for official and administrative purposes and when the Department certifies that
such records appear to have no further use or value for research or reference, then such records may be destroyed or
otherwise disposed of by the agency having custody of them.
When the custodian of any official records of any county, city, municipality, or other subdivision of government
certifies to the Department that such records have no further use or value for official business and when the
Department certifies that such records appear to have no further use or value for research or reference, then such
records may be authorized by the governing body of said county, city, municipality, or other subdivision of government
to be destroyed or otherwise disposed of by the agency having custody of them. A record of such certification and
authorization shall be entered in the minutes of the governing body granting the authority.
The North Carolina Historical Commission is hereby authorized and empowered to make such orders, rules, and
regulations as may be necessary and proper to carry into effect the provisions of this section. When any State, county,
municipal, or other governmental records shall have been destroyed or otherwise disposed of in accordance with the
procedure authorized in this subsection, any liability that the custodian of such records might incur for such destruction
or other disposal shall cease and determine.
(c) Assistance to Public Officers. -The Department of Cultural Resources shall have the right to examine into
the condition of public records and shall, subject to the availability of staff and funds, give advice and assistance to
public officials and agencies in regard to preserving or disposing of the public records in their custody. When
requested by the Department of Cultural Resources, public officials shall assist the Department in the preparation of an
inclusive inventory of records in their custody, to which inventory shall be attached a schedule, approved by the head
of the governmental unit or agency having custody of the records and the Department of Cultural Resources,
establishing a time period for the retention or disposal of each series of records. So long as such approved schedule
remains in effect, destruction or disposal of records in accordance with its provisions shall be deemed to have met the
requirements of G.S. 121-5(b).
The Department of Cultural Resources is hereby authorized and directed to conduct. a program of inventorying,
repairing, and microfilming in the counties for security purposes those official records of the several counties which the
Department determines have permanent value, and of providing safe storage for microfilm copies of such records.
MAILING ADDRESS: Telephone (919) 807-7350 LOCATION:
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Raleigh, N.C. 27699-4615 Raleigh, N.C. 27601-2823
State Courier 51-81-20
~3
Subject to the availability of funds, such program shall be extended to the records of permanent value of the cities,
municipalities, and other subdivisions of government.
(d) Preservation of Permanently Valuable Records. -Public records certified by the Department of Cultural
Resources as being of permanent value shall be preserved in the custody of the agency in which the records are
normally kept or of the North Carolina State Archives. Any State, county, municipal, or other public official is hereby
authorized and empowered to turn over to the Department of Cultural Resources any State, county, municipal, or other
public records no longer in current official use, and the Department of Cultural Resources is authorized in its discretion
to accept such records, and having done so shall provide for their administration and preservation in the North
Carolina State Archives. When such records have been thus surrendered, photocopies, microfilms, typescripts, or
other copies of them shall be made and certified under seal of the Department, upon application of any person, which
certification shall have the same force and effect as if made by the official or agency by which the records were
transferred to the Department of Cultural Resources; and the Department may charge reasonable fees for these
copies. The Department may answer written inquiries for nonresidents of the State and for this service may charge a
search and handling fee not to exceed twenty-five dollars ($25.00). The receipts from this fee shall be used to defray
the cost of providing this service. (1907, c. 714, s. 5; C.S., s. 6145; 1939, c. 249; 1943, c. 237; 1945, c. 55; 1953, c.
224; 1955, c. 543, s. 1; 1959, c. 1162; 1973, c. 476, s. 48; 1979, c. 361; c. 801, s. 95; 1981, c. 406, ss. 1, 2; 1993, c.
539, s. 916; 1994, Ex_ Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c); 1997-309, s. 13; 2001-427, s. 3(a).)
G.S. 132, the Public Records Law
§ 132-2. Custodian designated.
The public official in charge of an office having public records shall be the custodian thereof. (1935, c. 265, s. 2.)
§ 132-3. Destruction of records regulated.
(a) Prohibition. - No public official may destroy, sell, loan, or otherwise dispose of any public record, except in
accordance with G.S. 121-5 and G.S. 130A-99, without the consent of the Department of Cultural Resources. Whoever
unlawfully removes a public record from the office where it is usually kept, or alters, defaces, mutilates or destroys it
shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor and upon conviction only fined not less than ten dollars ($10.00) nor more
than five hundred dollars ($500.00).
§ 132-4. Disposition of records at end of official's term.
Whoever has the custody of any public records shall, at the expiration of his term of office, deliver to his successor,
or, if there be none, to the Department of Cultural Resources, all records, books, writings, letters and documents kept
or received by him in the transaction of his official business; and any such person who shall refuse or neglect for the
space of 10 days after request made in writing by any citizen of the State to deliver as herein required such public
records to the person authorized to receive them shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. (1935, c. 265, s. 4; 1943, c.
237; 1973, c. 476, s. 48; 1975, c. 696, s. 1; 1993, c. 539, s. 967; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)
§ 132-8. Assistance by and to Department of Cultural Resources.
The Department of Cultural Resources shall have the right to examine into the condition of public records and shall
give advice and assistance to public officials in the solution of their problems of preserving, filing and making available
the public records in their custody. When requested by the Department of Cultural Resources, public officials shall
assist the Department in the preparation of an inclusive inventory of records in their custody, to which shall be attached
a schedule, approved by the head of the governmental unit or agency having custody of the records and the Secretary
of Cultural Resources, establishing a time period for the retention or disposal of each series of records. Upon the
completion of the inventory and schedule, the Department of Cultural Resources shall (subject to the availability of
necessary space, staff, and other facilities for such purposes) make available space in its Records Center for the filing
of semicurrent records so scheduled and in its archives for noncurrent records of permanent value, and shall render
such other assistance as needed, including the microfilming of records so scheduled. (1935, c. 265, s. 8; 1943, c. 237;
1959, c. 68, s. 2; 1973, c. 476, s. 48.)
§ 132-8.1. Records management program administered by Department of Cultural Resources; establishment
of standards, procedures, etc.; surveys.
A records management program for the application of efficient and economical management methods to the
creation, utilization, maintenance, retention, preservation, and disposal of official records shall be administered by the
Department of Cultural Resources. It shall be the duty of that Department, in cooperation with and with the approval of
the Department of Administration, to establish standards, procedures, and techniques for effective management of
public records, to make continuing surveys of paper work operations, and to recommend improvements in current
MAILING ADDRESS: Telephone (919) 807-7350 LOCATION:
4615 Mail Service Center Facsimile (919) 715-3627 215 N. Blount Street
Raleigh, N.C. 27699-4615 Raleigh, N.C. 27601-2823
State Courier 51-81-20
a~
records management practices including the use of space, equipment, and supplies employed in creating, maintaining,
and servicing records. It shall be the duty of the head of each State agency and the governing body of each county,
municipality and other subdivision of government to cooperate with the Department of Cultural Resources in
conducting surveys and to establish and maintain an active, continuing program for the economical and efficient
management of the records of said agency, county, municipality, or other subdivision of government. (1961, c. 1041;
1973, c. 476, s. 48.)
§ 132-8.2. Selection and preservation of records considered essential; making or designation of preservation
duplicates; force and effect of duplicates or copies thereof.
In cooperation with the head of each State agency and the governing body of each county, municipality, and other
subdivision of government, the Department of Cultural Resources shall establish and maintain a program for the
selection and preservation of public records considered essential to the operation of government and to the protection
of the rights and interests of persons, and, within the limitations of funds available for the purpose, shall make or cause
to be made preservation duplicates or designate as preservation duplicates existing copies of such essential public
records. Preservation duplicates shall be durable, accurate, complete and clear, and such duplicates made by a
photographic, photostatic, microfilm, micro card, miniature photographic, or other process which accurately reproduces
and forms a durable medium for so reproducing the original shall have the same force and effect for all purposes as
the original record whether the original record is in existence or not. A transcript, exemplification, or certified copy of
such preservation duplicate shall be deemed for all purposes to be a transcript, exemplification, or certified copy of the
original record. Such preservation duplicates shall be preserved in the place and manner of safekeeping prescribed by
the Department of Cultural Resources. (1961, c. 1041; 1973, c. 476, s. 48.)
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4615 Mail Service Center Facsimile (919) 715-3627 215 N. Blount Street
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State Courier 51-81-20
~ Qch m yen ~t- D
Orange County NC Room Meeting with State Library -Genealogy Specialist -
3/16/09
Pam Toms -Genealogical Services Supervisor, NC State Library
Lucinda Munger, Kim Sholar and Andrea Tullos -Orange County Public Library
Ms. Toms with the Government and Heritage Library of the State Library of NC,
Genealogist, met at the Orange County Public Library to review the NC Room inventory
and holdings. There was a brief review of the holdings and the review of the floor plan
for the new facility on Margaret Lane. While reviewing the inventory, Ms. Toms pointed
out the local history collection needs to retain materials that are unique to the county and
to the town of Hillsborough. While reviewing the new facility floor plan, Ms. Toms
suggested providing chairs and tables for researchers near the non-circulating collection.
Ms. Toms was sympathetic to the task at hand, as she noted clearly that there was no
room fora "NC Room" in the new facility. Library staff indicated that they had been
working toward providing access to a choice selection of the local history collection in
the non-circulating reference area of the new facility. Ms. Toms expressed that this
would be feasible if the library provided a "core basic collection", as she defined it:
histories from local areas and genealogy documents. Ms. Toms also expressed
affirmation to the established twin goals of I) public accessibility and 2) preservation,
protection and security of the materials.
In the new facility Ms. Toms suggested utilizing heavy signage to identify the specialized
collection. Additionally, she suggested that digitization of select items that are rare may
be a good decision, as long as you adhere to copyright laws.
The key to genealogy research as defined by Ms. Toms was to provide access to county
information. In particular, as it relates to the formation of existing neighboring counties
which were part of the original parent county, Orange County. Additionally, Orange
County was included in the parent county of Granville. These historical documents
would include: Caswell, Person, Granville, Orange, Durham, Alamance, and Chatham
counties. As a Genealogist at the State Library, Ms. Toms complimented the staff on
providing open shelves and access, where a researcher can browse materials.
Ms. Toms advised suggested steps in paring down the collection such as: removing
duplicates, those items already found in current reference collection, and remove items
already available through our online electronic databases of ancestry.com and Heritage
Quest. Ms. Toms also suggested that the microfilm and microfilm machine should be
relocated to the new facility.
Ms. Toms suggested that following our meetings with the specialists and after receiving
final direction from the Board of Commissioners, that the Library Director attend a
DOGS meeting and provide an update to the group of the process.
a~
Notes from the Orange County NC Room Meeting with Eileen McGrath -North
Carolina Collection, UNC University Libraries 3/31/09
Eileen McGrath -North Carolina Collection, UNC University Libraries
Kim Sholar -Orange County Public Library
Ms. McGrath with the North Carolina Collection of the UNC University Libraries met at
the Orange County Public Library to review the Local History Room holdings focusing
on special and/or rare items.
Keeping in mind the library's goals of public accessibility, preservation, protection and
security of the materials as well as the library's clientele the following objectives for the
meeting were established:
1. To identify any basic NC history resources that may be missing from the OCPL
local history collection
2. To identify items that are not needed for a NC core collection or local history
collection
3. To identify items that need special security
4. To identify items needing preservation treatment that the library can not provide
Ms. McGrath first looked over the main collection to see if there were any rare or special
items on the open shelves. She did not find any materials that fit these criteria. During the
discussion afterward she identified materials that could be weeded out and those to keep
for a core collection.
Items to maintain for a core collection:
1. Genealogical materials and materials useful to genealogist (for example: The
Pension Roll of 1835 and family histories)
2. Items about Orange County history and its residents
3. General NC histories by Lefler, Powell, Hamilton and Conner (some of the other
NC histories could be sent to the circulating collection)
4. Local periodicals (for example: D-OGS Newsletter and Trading Path)
Items that may be removed from the local history collection:
1. Most of the biographies can be relocated to the circulating collection including
those that have no association to Orange County and most of the governors'
papers (keeping Martin, Hunt and any Orange County governors)
2. Back issue of most periodicals, keeping previous and current year only
3. Colonial and State Records (available from UNC Libraries, Documenting the
American South web site)
4. Older NC manuals, keep previous and current year
There wasn't any strong recommendation for keeping histories of other counties; perhaps
moving them to the circulation collection. She offered to send a list of standard county
histories for the core collection along with a list of governor's papers being digitalized in
the ECU project in order to help us make collection development decisions.
a~
Next she examined the materials housed in the locked cabinet. She identified items that
did not need special treatment and could be shelved in other locations. Ms McGrath noted
that she was being very conservative in her selection, feeling we would more than likely
find additional items that fell under this criterion. She also mentioned that minimum
preservation practices were fine for the rest of the materials. However, since office space
is very limited there is the concern of housing these items. There is also a concern about
the amount of light to which these books would be exposed.
Two important criteria to keep in mind came up during the last part of the meeting. The
first is to remember that books published during the late 19th (post-1880) and 20tH
Centuries by well known publishers (such as Edwards and Broughton, University of
North Carolina Press, and Houghton Mifflin) do not need the protection of a locked
cabinet unless they have some special added element like the author's signature. The
second is to remember to keep the library's main clientele as well as the usage of the
local history collection in mind when making collection development discussions.
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Currier & tees ~'t,r:fesierate ~Itia~'.. '. fi" x ) ~:•' frar~at~d ±c~ an .overall 2=L5" x 22". "I-his turf-
ti, , -t ,' ~r -~
of-the- 20°i cciitui~~, ca~mpos~tion uses three ~:ri~in~;l 19 ~:. p ,- r;. it lithca~iaphs tc~ c-,-eate
an ~~~±ical illusion in which only one hersun is re~ealc_d wt?~~n the whole is viewed Yi-om
any given. angle. Surjects incliid:: Jz_f±e~-on f~a~~is. ;Zobei~t Ir. Lee an~1 "Stone~~~~•ali':
Jackscni. littact with light stains .end ~,rcllo~~.~irig cur;sistent with age.
This composite image is not invFntca~ied in the various public and private Currier ~ Ives
collFCtions eonsuited for this appraisal. As sut:h, rt was provably made in limited
yuar~tities by an e;--terprising individual or ~eciandarv firm using existing lithogn-aplls for
raw materials Being a clever novelty, it also might have been commissioned for
gathet~ings of C`onf'ederate veterans or for display at one of the great expositions of its era.
Interestingly, an identical triple-portrait of Confederate heroes once hung at Beauvoir,
Jefferson Davis's retirement home in Biloxi, Mississippi. According to Leauvoir Curator
Richard R. Flowers, 1-lurricane Katrina unfortunately destroyed their example -along
~~•ith its documentation - in 2005.
The Orange County Library specimen is extremely tare if`not now unique. VVe value it at.
$1,(100 base°d upon today's auction market,
S~r~cerely,
~~ ~ s• ~~,
11
RUb ~~t~lat~
Leland Little Auciion ~: Estate Sales, 1_td
Leland Little
March 30, 20(!~l
email: INFO@LLAUCTIONS.COM •
~'ele. 919.644.1243 Cax 919.644.1245 620 Cornerstone Court, Hillsborough, NC 27278
` Q9rRit~e ~Cvicr~tp ~u~Yic ~f~rlrp
~~ ~~ 300 ~e5t ~t~A~t street aq
~I~[SbAl'OtIC~~~, ,~~~ 27275
~o . ,~~=
~~ ~ ~ ~'~
X919) 245-2525 "telephone
~9r9) 644-337 Far
March 27, 2009
To: Geoff Gledhill
From: Lucinda Munger, Library Director
Cc: Gwen Harvey, Assistant County Manager
Re: Interpretation -and opinion of attached will and bequest to the Library
The Board of County Commissioners are currently in discussion regarding an
independent, free-standing Heritage Center and we are trying to plan the use of
the Rebecca Wall bequest funds. It is unclear to us whether the bequest was
designated as building funds (bricks and mortar) only. In addition, it is unclear if
the donation is to the library or is the donation attached to any of the local history
collection and must remain with that collection.
As per direction from the County Manager, we are requesting that you review
and interpret the attached will and the bequest of $50,000 to the Orange County
Public Library from Rebecca Wall. I am also attaching copies of the Board of
Trustees minutes of 1982 and 1983, when the will was discussed at the Trustees
meeting and included additional insight provided by the attorney, Mr. Lonnie
Coleman on the designation of the funding. Possibly, there is additional
information that can be acquired through conversations with the originating
attorney, Mr. Coleman.
We are hoping to receive a clear opinion of the interpretation of the will by April
16, 2009. The next step will be sharing an overall strategy with the BOCC in
May. Thank You.
Branches: Carrboro NIcDougle Cedar Grove Cybrary
900 Old Fayetteville Road 5800 NC fiwy 86 N loo N Greensboro Street
Chapel Fiill, NC z75i4 Hillsborough, NC 2'J2']8 Carrboro, NC 275io
X919) 969-3006 {919) 732-9211 X919) 918-7387
Neighboring County information regarding local history collections and financial support
Neighboring Library Budget Budget NC Collection Room & Hours NC Dedicated Staff NC Room
County & appropriated per size of collection Collection /volunteers to Collection
population served (county funding + capita open to the NC Room materials budget
state aid) based on public Collection
state aid report
endin 6/30/08
Orange $1,094,147 $15.30 Yes -collection /new 64 hours 0 staff and 0 $0.00 ($1,000
70,350 facility not a room; volunteers from 2004 - 09
a roximatel 1,700 items in donations
Alamance $2,465,000 $17.22 Yes - a collection and 70 hours 0 staff and 1 $2,000 -through
143,154 room; approximately 2,000 volunteers operating budget
items and donations
Durham $10,142,000 $40.17 Yes - a collection and 34 hours 1.34 FTEs and $5,000 -through
252,504 room; approximately 10 volunteers operating budget
16,000 items
Caswell $251,718 $10.55 Yes - a collection and 49 hours 0 and 0 $0.00
23,857 room; approximately 4,000 volunteers
items
Person $528,801 $14.16 Yes - a collection and 60 hours 0 and 0 $0.00
37,341 room; approximately 3,500 volunteers
items
Chapel Hill $2,196,066 $40.00 No N/A N/A N/A
53,416
0
A
~'
to
-~-