Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation

Greetings from Columbus, Ohio! The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation team are attending the 10th annual International Public Library Fundraising Conference (IPLFC) at the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

The IPLFC brings together foundation leaders, development professionals, and library executives from across the U.S. and Canada to connect with peers, share ideas, and strengthen the future of library fundraising together.

Pictured in front of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, from left to right: Deputy Director Teleia White, Foundation Board Vice Chair Selena Giovannelli, Director of Individual Giving Tim Gibson, and Executive Director Jenni Gaisbauer.

Here's to 10 years of building stronger public libraries and the communities they serve!

Great public libraries are built by people who invest in making them better.

A huge thank you to our outgoing Library Foundation board members:
Patricia Johnson
Liz Hope Star
Sarah Dodd
Alessandro Morante
Gene Cochrane

Thank you for helping us achieve what's possible: expanding access, sparking innovation, and raising the bar for what a world-class public library system can be.

From Benjamin Franklin to Andrew Carnegie to your local branch, public libraries have always been democracy's backbone. As New York Public Library's Brian Bannon writes in the New York Times: society's duty is to keep people reading.



https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/31/opinion/books-reading-crisis-libraries.html

A decade of partnership between CMS and CML yields immeasurable benefit.

Ten years ago, leaders from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Charlotte Mecklenburg Library came together with an idea that felt both practical and ambitious — turn every student ID into a library card. No extra forms. No barriers. Just access.

ONE Access = One Number Equals Access!

One Number. Unlimited Access ---A decade of partnership with Charlotte Mecklenburg Library yields immeasurable benefit through ONE Access, which provides CMS students and staff 24/7 acce...

Meet our first Story Builder: Sam Hart

Sam, the Executive Chef and Founder of Counter-, Charlotte’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, approached us with an innovative and generous offer: to donate a curated collection of culinary books to the new Main Library.

We were blown away.

And now YOU have the opportunity to join Sam as a Story Builder in our Great Big Story Builder Campaign.

We are so close to completing our new Main Library at the corner of 6th and Tryon Uptown, and now, in this final stretch, we have one essential task: to fill the new building with a collection—both digital and physical—that is vibrant, diverse, and truly reflective of the entire Charlotte community.

It’s easy to become a Story Builder and every gift matters with a clear and tangible impact:

📘 $35 puts a book on the shelf
📚 $140 buys a stack of books
📚📚📚$500 fills an entire shelf
📚📚📚📚📚📚$1,000 fills two entire shelves
and so on…

To make your generosity go even further, we’re currently running a challenge campaign, so every donation, up to $50,000 will be matched dollar for dollar.

✨Won’t you become a Story Builder?

https://bit.ly/4wCjA8Y

Five floors. Hundreds of shelves. And one big question.

Will you be a Story Builder for new Main Library?

Live on Charlotte Today! Check us out then go get your ticket for A Conversation with Chef Sam Hart at foundation.cmlibrary.org/samhart