No one who visits Carolina Meadows ever asks for directions to the library. There’s no need. By design, the library is one of the first things you see when you enter the front door. The library is central to our lives here. It serves, and has been developed by, a community of active and educated people who want to stay tuned in and connected.

The library is an all-volunteer operation. More than 80 residents maintain our collection of books, audio books, DVDs, magazines, and newspapers. They are serious about being good stewards of a collection that has been created from sources ranging from individual donations to funding from our Residents Association to monies earned in annual book sales. It is truly owned and sustained by our residents.

And it is well run! The entire collection is tracked on our library computers. We can record when an item has been signed out and when it has been returned. We can also check to see if a particular item is in the collection and whether it is available. If a book is checked out, we can reserve it and pick it up when it is returned.

On average, our acquisitions committees add twelve new books and up to ten new DVDs to the collection every month. As a group, they decide what to put in the collection, with special attention to best-seller lists, and interests of residents who are avid readers and engaged citizens. We aim to keep our library fresh, informative, and enjoyable. Doing that, we feel, is a privilege.