Library history: NC Digital Collections

by Christy Allen, 2008.

Public library history files

The core of this collection has been scanned from the State Library of North Carolina's Public Library History Files. These files contain photographs, reports, newspaper clippings, and other materials that had been sent to the North Carolina Library Commission from public libraries throughout the state. The files span from the late 1800s up through the 1970s, with the majority of the materials dating from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. For years, the files were hidden in a storage area where all but a few library staff had forgotten them. They were re-discovered around 2003 when the storage area was being cleaned out for building renovations. Photographs from the Public Library History Files were included in a display at the North Carolina Library Association's Centennial Conference in 2004.

Public Library Participation

In summer of 2008, the State Library put out a call to North Carolina's public libraries seeking participation in building the Transforming the Tar Heel State collection. Twenty-three public libraries as well as the North Carolina State Archives responded to the call, submitting photographs that demonstrated the impact of public libraries throughout North Carolina's communities. Thirty-four public libraries submitted historical information about their institutions which has been included as part of the project's website.