Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library had to adapt to the pandemic by pivoting to virtual and curbside services, and now the library system is rebuilding its Main Library uptown. CEO and Chief Librarian Marcellus Turner talks about plans for construction of the new branch and weathering the pandemic.

During the first two weekends of November, Charlotte can say goodbye to the Main Library in uptown. The building closed last week and will be demolished in early 2022 to make way for a new $100 million project at the same site.

The Main Library in uptown Charlotte is going through a time of transition. WFAE’s Tommy Tomlinson, in his On My Mind commentary, hopes that by the time the new library is ready, our other current transition will be over.

On Oct. 29, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Main Library branch will close. It will be demolished in early 2022 to make way for a new $100 million building on the same site. Before then, 140,000 collection items have to be moved and temporarily stored — and it is a massive undertaking.

Nearly 75 years ago, there was one library serving African American residents in Charlotte called the Brevard Street Library for Negroes. The woman who managed that branch went on to become the first Black public library supervisor in North Carolina. And now, there’s a library bearing her name.

Starting Thursday, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library will forgive late fees and fines for all library cardholders.

Remember when no one could find toilet paper? Well, now there are shortages of other things thanks, in part, to the pandemic. In this week's BizWorthy, we hear about that, overdue book fines being eliminated in Charlotte and how artificial intelligence wrote a newsletter.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library announced it will eliminate overdue fines and fees beginning July 1. But without fines, will we still return books on time? Other counties who've already gone fine-free say yes.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library says it has passed the $100 million mark in its $135 million fundraising campaign for a new Main Library and technology upgrades across the library system.

Marcellus "MT" Turner will begin his position as Chief Librarian and CEO of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library on April 1. He comes from Seattle, and he says the position overseeing the construction of a new main branch was one he couldn't pass up.