Davidson’s Main Street Books is among a group of 18 local bookstores that are joining forces next month to help raise a bit of badly needed cash for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. The stores will contribute a portion of profits from sales Aug. 4-8.
Main Street Books, at 126 S. Main St., will participate in what library officials are calling a “book fair” between Aug. 6 and 8.
Here’s the library announcement:
18 Local Bookstores Band Together To Help Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries.
On key dates in August, purchases from local booksellers will help buy much-needed books for libraries.
Charlotte, NC – It’s no secret that the recent economic downturn has meant shrinking tax revenues and cuts to government-funded agencies like public libraries. In fact, if you’ve picked up a paper or seen a local news program, you’ve probably heard about efforts to keep Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries open in the face of sweeping Mecklenburg County budget cuts.
But what you might not have heard is that there’s not much money left to buy books. To keep libraries open, the budget to buy books at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has been reduced by a whopping 58% since last fiscal year. This comes at a time when libraries are experiencing an unprecedented surge in demand. For library patrons, this means that wait times for new books are averaging six months, sometimes much longer.
“Books are the basic core of what we provide our customers,” explains Library Materials Management Manager Linda Raymond, “And each budget cut leaves us with less and less money to purchase the titles and quantities we need to satisfy customer demand.”
Local booksellers are recognizing this need and are stepping up to the plate to help out. On key dates in early August, eighteen local book stores in Mecklenburg County will be joining forces to participate in a 3-day book fair with the goal of generating funds for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library to buy books and other needed items for the library’s collection.
Mark your calendars now. Then, simply shop at any of these booksellers during the book fair dates and ask that your purchase be used to help support libraries.
BOOK FAIR DATES AND PARTICIPATING BOOKSELLERS
AUG. 4 – 6, 2010
• The Bookmark, 100 North Tryon Street, Charlotte (in Founder’s Hall)
AUG. 5 – 7, 2010
• Book Rack, 10110 Johnston Road, Charlotte
• Spandex City Comics, 3611 Mt. Holly-Huntersville Rd # 202
• Black Forest Books & Toys, 115 Cherokee, Charlotte
AUG. 6 – 8, 2010
• Barnes and Noble Booksellers (Locations: Birkdale – 8725 Townley Road, Huntersville; Arboretum – 3327 Pineville-Matthews Rd, Pineville; Carolina Place Mall – 11025 Carolina Place Mall, Charlotte; South Park – 4020 Sharon Road, Charlotte)
• Bedford Falls Books, 4217 Park Road, Charlotte
• Books a Million (Locations: Cotswold – 330 S Sharon Amity Rd, Charlotte; SteeleCreek – 14151 Steele Creek Rd, Charlotte; Concord Mills – 8301 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord)
• Borders (Locations: Morrocroft Village – 3900 Colony Road, Charlotte; Northlake Mall – 6801 Northlake Mall Dr, Charlotte; Stonecrest – 7836 Rea Road, Charlotte)
• Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 4345 Barclay Downs Drive Charlotte
• Main Street Books, 126 South Main Street Davidson
• Park Road Books, 4139 Park Road Charlotte
If your group or organization would like to help the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, there are many ways to contribute. All financial gifts are critically important, especially during these challenging times, and gifts are tax deductible. Visit www.cmlibrary.org/support for details or contact Dick Pahle, Director of Development, at (704) 416-0617 or via email at dpahle@cmlibrary.org.
