Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation

Ensuring Excellence Campaign

Ensuring Excellence

Now is the time for the private half of the alliance to step up and create a library collection of depth and excellence in Chapel Hill. To set the pace, the Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation is leading Ensuring Excellence, a one-time capital campaign. This is a special purpose campaign intended to supplement the buying power our Library has for both the current collection and the new opening day collection in 2011. Books, non-print items, and shelving will be purchased from campaign contributions.

Ensuring Excellence is a major fundraising effort that begins in 2006 and ends in 2011. It will cost $2.5 million to purchase a sufficient number of materials for our expanded Library to properly serve its active users. If the Library is to achieve this important collection goal, a significant level of private support must be secured.

Ensuring Excellence will help the Library move up from its current level of good service (2.6 books per capita) to its next level of excellence (4 books per capita).

  • The first campaign goal is to add “9300 Books Now” to our Library’s collection—in its current space. By using every inch of available space, 3000 more juvenile and young adult books, and 6300 more adult books can be accommodated. More books will be available to readers before the building expansion is complete.
  • Other campaign goals will target specific areas of the collection that require updating, enhancement, or must be “built from scratch.” The Library’s collection includes print and non-print materials for adults, young adults, and juveniles. Approximately two-thirds of the collection is geared to adults, and the other third to children and young adults. The entire collection is split 50/50 between fiction and non-fiction.

Areas of the adult collection that should expand significantly include both fiction and non-fiction. High-interest books, audio books, electronic or “e-Books,” educational DVDs, and other electronic materials will be added in many subject areas including:

  • Fiction (bestsellers, and popular genres such as mystery and science fiction)
  • Music (includes recordings on compact disc)
  • Arts and crafts
  • Sports and recreation
  • Biography
  • Business and employment resources
  • History (including books about North Carolina)
  • African-American history and culture
  • Science
  • Computers and technology
  • Spanish language materials
  • Health information
  • Travel
  • Pet Care
  • Gardening
  • Cookbooks and home design
  • Adult reference

Areas of the juvenile and young adult collection that should expand significantly include both fiction and non-fiction. High interest books and audio-visual materials will be added in many subject areas including the following:

  • Picture books
  • Easy readers
  • African American history and culture
  • History (including books about North Carolina)
  • Biography
  • Science
  • Animals and pet care
  • Mystery
  • Fantasy
  • Science Fiction
  • Children’s reference
  • Spanish language materials

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