Top IMLS award goes to Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has awarded one of six prestigious National Awards for Museum and Library Service to the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, serving 850,000 county residents in and around Charlotte, N.C., is directed by Charles Brown, a member of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Information and Library Science (SILS) Board of Visitors. Several of the school's graduates also work in one of the system's 24 library locations.

The National Awards for Museum and Library Service are given annually to three American museums and three American libraries by IMLS, the primary source of federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The awards are the highest honor a museum or library can receive from the federal government and are given to institutions to recognize extraordinary public service.

IMLS chose the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County for a 2006 award for the library's "approach to service and programming that can transform lives."

The library's year-old ImaginOn center, a city-block-sized, glass-enclosed modern library building designed “to bring stories to life” is one of the innovations recognized. ImaginOn features frequent storytelling performances; a space designed especially for teenaged patrons (complete with graphic novels and a multimedia production studio); and the Story Jar, a three-story spiral sculpture hung with everyday objects that can inspire a story.

Besides the ImaginOn center, the IMLS also recognized the high level of service provided by Charlotte and Mecklenburg County library employees with the award. Among these employees are five SILS alumni:

• Charles DiPerna ('75 MSLS), Morrison branch librarian
• Carol Meyer ('73 MSLS), assistant director
• Amy Richard ('99 MSLS), main branch librarian
• Neily Trump ('90 MSLS and former Alumni Association president), Mint Hill branch manager
• David Waters ('90 MSLS), main branch librarian

The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County will receive its National Award for Museum and Library Service, along with a $10,000 prize, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.