We are excited to introduce Tyra, our newest member of the children’s team at Mebane Public Library. With her extensive experience working with children, we look forward to the engaging storytimes she will host for our community!

When you were little, what was your dream job?

I really wanted to be an NFL cheerleader/dancer growing up.

What was the best part of your week/weekend?

The best part about my week are those Saturday mornings when I can slow down, enjoy a good cup of coffee or tea, and spend time on my favorite activities.

What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

I was tricked into eating alligator bites. They looked and tasted like chicken nuggets but are a bit too chewy for my liking.

What’s your favorite TV Show?

Girlfriends! It’s funny, relatable and shows the importance of having a strong circle of friends.

What is your favorite thing to spend money on?

Home décor, I love making my space feel cozy and stylish.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

The naps I used to fight as a child are now one of my favorite hobbies as an adult!

Museum on Main Street (MoMS), an outreach of Smithsonian Institution, in cooperation with North Carolina Humanities presents SPARK! Places of Innovation, featured at May Memorial Library October 9 – November 19, 2025.

The story of human history is written in inventions and innovations. People are problem- solvers. Sometimes we invent. More often, we innovate—we introduce a fresh idea or an invention into use in some way that creates a new way of doing or thinking.

Invention can happen anywhere and it’s happening right now in small towns across America. Rural Americans are creating new products, taking risks, meeting challenges together, and seizing upon exciting opportunities that change local life and sometimes reach far beyond.

Spark! Places of Innovation will highlight innovation in rural America from the perspective of the people who lived it! Their words, images, and experiences gathered through an ambitious crowdsourcing initiative will be the heartbeat of the exhibition. Technical, social, cultural, artistic, or a combination of all of these–every innovation is as unique as each community. Explore the diversity, ingenuity, and tenacity of rural Americans in Spark! Places of Innovation.

Spark! Places of Innovation explores the unique combination of places, people, and circumstances that spark innovation and invention in rural communities. Inspired by an exhibition by the National Museum of American History, the exhibition features stories gathered from diverse communities across the nation. Photographs, engaging interactives, objects, videos, and augmented reality bring a multilayered experience to reveal the leaders, challenges, successes, and future of innovation in each town.

Spark! Places of Innovation will be the springboard for diverse local programming in the humanities, sciences, and arts. Visitors will be inspired to learn about how innovation has shaped their own communities and how they may be innovators themselves. Community members will come together in conversation about their history, present, and future.

Join us during regular library hours for this limited, one-of-a-kind exhibit!

How long have you worked with the County?

Four Months.

Where are you from originally?

Greensboro, NC.

Do you have a hobby?

I enjoy crocheting, knitting, baking, and playing video games.

When you were little, what was your dream job?

A Chef, Writer or Ballet Dancer.

What was the best part of your week/weekend?

The best part of my week is enjoying anime or video games with my Husband.

Are you involved in any community projects or organizations?

I’m currently a part of DKG Chi Chapter, which is an international professional society for women educators.

What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Lemon-flavored ants.

What’s your favorite TV Show?

An anime called One Piece.

Welcome Ashlea, the new Library Assistant in the Circulation Department at Mebane Public Library. We are excited to see her bring her wealth of knowledge and positive energy to the team!

How long have you worked with the County?

Since March 2025

Where are you from originally?

Reidsville, NC

What are you most passionate about?

My faith, my family, and helping others.

Do you have a hobby?

Reading, watching movies, making jewelry, traveling, visiting museums / art galleries, & shopping.

When you were little, what was your dream job?

I wanted to be an elementary teacher first and later become a librarian – and I did!!!

What was the best part of your week/weekend?

I enjoy walking on my local nature trail on Saturday mornings and going to church on Sunday.

If your life was a song, what would the title be?

Video by India.Arie

Are you involved in any community projects or organizations?

I used to volunteer with a group that distributed used clothes to refugee & migrant families in Greensboro. I’d like to start doing that again soon.

What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Cornstarch. Several of my relatives ate it when I was growing up. I later found out this is related to iron-deficiency anemia, which a lot of us have in my family.

What’s your favorite TV Show?

A Different World, Downton Abbey, Hey Arnold!, and Batman: The Animated Series.

What is your favorite thing to spend money on?

Books, clothes, and handbags.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

The first pair of Nike running shoes were made in a waffle iron!

📢 Attention! The Mobile Library will be at Mebane Public Library during the following hours: Thursday, July 10th from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday, July 11th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. During these designated pick-up times, patrons can collect their holds—only for items for which you have received an email or call indicating they are ready for pickup. You will also have the opportunity to browse the Mobile Library collection and claim your Summer Reading prizes. Please be aware that the building will remain closed, and the Mobile Library will be parked in front of the building. For any questions, please call May Memorial Library at (336) 229-3588.

Congratulations to Joan as the new Children’s Assistant at the May Memorial Library. We are excited to see her bring a creative flair to the team!

How long have you worked with the County?

Just over 3 years.

Where are you from originally?

Here! I grew up coming to storytime at May Memorial.

What are you most passionate about?

Music, cats, literacy, access to education, mental health.

Do you have a hobby?

Maybe too many – sewing, crocheting, cross stitch, embroidery, baking, reading, DnD, piano, guitar, listening to podcasts, cozy gaming, jewelry making…

When you were little, what was your dream job?

An artist, dancer, or doctor.

What was the best part of your week/weekend?

Hanging out with my cat – she’s the purrfect nap partner!

What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Probably rattlesnake, though I don’t remember it – I was a toddler, and liked it so much that I ate both my portion and my mom’s. My dad says it tasted like chicken.

What’s your favorite TV Show?

My go-tos are Frasier, Murdoch Mysteries, and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, but I’m always looking for recommendations!

What is your favorite thing to spend money on?

Food, stickers/patches, craft supplies, and new experiences!

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

The creator of the “eatertainment” chain restaurant Rainforest Cafe convinced uncertain backers to invest in his vision by gutting his Minneapolis home and filling it with artificial waterfalls, trees and plants, custom rock formations, animatronic animals, multiple sound systems, forty live tropical birds, and a baboon. He sold almost everything he owned to do this and still came close to bankruptcy, but it worked – and Rainforest Cafe became iconic.

Beginning July 1, 2025, patrons with Online Borrower Registration (OBR) accounts will no longer have access to resources from OverDrive or the Libby app. If you are using an OBR account to checkout ebooks, audiobooks, or magazines from OverDrive/Libby, you will need to visit one of our locations in person to switch to a regular library card. You will need to present a photo ID and proof of your local address to complete the application process. Please let staff know you have an OverDrive or Libby account. They will replace your old OBR account number with the new card number in OverDrive. You will not lose any of your checkouts, holds, tags, etc.

Welcome Ashlee, the new Children’s Team Lead at the May Memorial. We are excited to see what she can do with a brand new team at May Memorial.

How long have you worked with the County?

Four Months.

Where are you from originally?

I was born and raised in Alamance County.

What are you most passionate about?

Children, homesteading, and personal health.

Do you have a hobby?

I enjoy cooking and baking from scratch, canning, gardening, reading, raising chickens, hiking, and most other outdoor activities.

When you were little, what was your dream job?

When I was little, I wanted to be an artist.

What was the best part of your week/weekend?

Going fishing with my husband.

Are you involved in any community projects or organizations?

I volunteer with and am on the technology and library committees at my church.

What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

I ate a worm on a dare when I was little.

What’s your favorite TV Show?

I don’t generally watch TV, but when I do, it is typically watching the Carolina Hurricanes play in the NHL.

What is your favorite thing to spend money on?

Home renovation projects and trips to visit the National Parks with my husband.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

Snails are one of the deadliest animals in the world.

The Alamance County Board of Commissioners approved the new strategic plan for the library at the meeting on April 21, 2025. We are excited to share our new mission, vision, and goals for the upcoming five years and ready to continue supporting our community as they need!

Vision

Nurture. Connect. Thrive.

Mission

Nurturing minds, connecting communities, and building a thriving future.

We fulfill our mission by:

• Nurturing Exploration, Early and Lifelong Learning, and Bridging the Divide
• Connecting, Collaborating, and Meeting People Where They Are
• Supporting a Thriving Community

Our Values

We are welcoming, helpful, knowledgeable, professional, resourceful, and innovative.

Core Competencies

• Welcoming, convenient, and safe spaces
• Professionally curated collections
• Literacy inspired services and resources
• Professional and knowledgeable staff
• Access to vital technology and online resources

See the full plan and demographics report here!

Did you know there are 27 Burlingtons in the United States? Well, three of them are facing off for a three-week reading battle to see which Burlington Library has the best, most voracious readers!

Three Burlingtons. Three weeks. One ultimate reading showdown. From March 10 to March 31, 2025, the race is on to see which Burlington can log the most reading minutes and claim the title of the most book-loving Burlington in the country.

The question is: Will our beloved Burlington rise to victory, or will another Burlington leave us in the dust?

The Teams:

• Burlington, North Carolina
• Burlington, Wisconsin
• Burlington, Massachusetts

HOW IT WORKS

Starting March 10, 2025, a QR code will be available on all of our social media, leading you to the reading log. You can also find this QR code at each library service desk, as well as a physical link at the bottom of this post. Please bookmark this link for easy access! If you have any questions, please reach out. We want everyone to be able to log their minutes!

How to Log Your Minutes:

• Read! Any kind of reading counts – books, audiobooks, graphic novels, newspapers, even being read to. If you’re engaging with words, it’s fair game.
• Track Your Time. Keep an eye on how long you spend reading. Use a clock, timer, or estimate based on your usual pace.
• Enter Your Minutes. When logging, type the total minutes you read. Example: If you read for two hours, enter 120.  The form will only allow digits to be entered.  If you write “two hours” it will be rejected.
• Pick Your Burlington. Every logged minute adds to your town’s total – so make sure you choose which state you are reading for before submitting your time.

The Stakes:

This is more than just reading – it’s a fight for hometown pride. It’s about proving which Burlington has the most unstoppable, page-turning, never-put-the-book-down readers.  We are battling for eternal 2025 glory!

The clock is ticking. The challenge is set.  It’s time to READ FOR VICTORY!

Log your minutes here (And don’t forget to bookmark for easy access!):

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSckrGBBAKayRGOwhxtpqbSf0K0aJbgIRv8LP5Z5L7OANEjs8g/viewform