Carrboro friends of the library request book sale location change to century center

The Carrboro Branch Library will hold its annual book sale in December. Town officials just don’t know where yet.

Nerys Levy, of the Friends of the Carrboro Branch Library, requested that the town’s Board of Aldermen waive fees for use of the Century Center as a location for the book sale at Tuesday’s meeting.

The library traditionally has held its book sale in the cafeteria of McDougle Middle School, whose media center has housed the library for 15 years.

But as Levy explained, officials from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools system recently began charging $55 an hour for the use of the school’s cafeteria.

“All of a sudden, we were sprung this bill for use of the cafeteria,” she said in an interview. “Like all of a sudden, they’re charging us rent.”

The book sale is slated for Dec. 19 and 20, which would bring the total cost to at least $850. The fee would cut two-thirds out of the book sale’s revenue, library board member Linda Browner said.

Board members discussed whether to allow the library to use the Century Center rather than cover the school district’s fee.

Alderman Joal Hall Broun said paying the district’s fee would send the wrong message to a group that has put the library in a tough position.

“My preference is to let us be a backup,” she said. “I’m not willing to write the school board a check for that. It sets a bad precedent.”

Alderman Randee Haven-O’Donnell, who agreed with Broun, said holding the book sale at the Century Center would benefit Carrboro by attracting residents downtown during the holiday season.

The board voted to pursue negotiations with the school district and update the Friends of the Carrboro Branch Library on Thursday.

Levy said her group is exhausted after fighting to keep the library open this summer, and reminded the aldermen of its years-long struggle to gain a free-standing library.

“It is just unfair,” she said. “Please find me another Friends group in the United States that has been dumped on as much as the Carrboro Friends of the Library.”



Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.