Peach-colored flyer with black text advertising the Friends of RPL's September sale date at the Second Saturday Bookshop

Visit the Second Saturday Bookshop in September

The Friends of Rowan Public Library's Second Saturday Bookshop will be open Saturday, September 9 from 10 am — 4 pm. During the September sale, stock up on some great reads to prepare yourself for a cozy fall season.

In September, the Second Saturday Bookshop will offer a two for $1 special on all sports books, cookbooks, healthy living books, and biographies

All sales made at the Second Saturday Bookshop benefit the Rowan Public Library. To learn more about the Second Saturday Bookshop or the Friends of Rowan Public Library, visit www.friendsofrpl.org or call 704-216-8240.

A photo of the book Raggedy Ann Stories featuring a Raggedy Ann Doll and yellow text on a black and red background

A picture of the 1918 book that introduced Raggedy Ann to the world, Raggedy Ann Stories.

Special Raggedy Ann Gift Baskets for Sale

Thanks to a generous donation by a Friends of RPL member, there are several Raggedy Ann-themed literary gift baskets for sale at all RPL locations.

Raggedy Ann is a character created by American writer Johnny Gruelle (1880–1938) that appeared in a series of books he wrote and illustrated for young children. Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and a triangle nose. Gruelle received US Patent D47789 for his doll on September 7, 1915. The character was introduced to the public in the 1918 book Raggedy Ann Stories. A sequel, Raggedy Andy Stories (1920), introduced the character of her brother, Raggedy Andy.

Raggedy Ann and Andy baskets are priced individually and packed full of goodies featuring these classic children's characters. A variety of gift baskets are for sale at all RPL locations. The Friends invite you to browse the selections and purchase a great gift for the collectors in your life!

A black and white photo of Rockwell, NC from the 1970s featuring a well and roadway

A photo of Rockwell, NC circa 1970 found during the SPMPP scanning.

Salisbury Post Morgue Preservation Project Updates

History Room Supervisor Gretchen Witt is excited to announce updates on the Salisbury Post Morgue Preservation project (SPMPP). During the summer, numerous library employees were trained to use SPMPP mobile scanning stations. This allowed scanning to continue throughout the summer when fiscal year and funding cycle transitions limits the use of paid temporary staff. Library staff digitized 55 gigabytes of material!

The Margaret C. Woodson Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to the SPMPP. The Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation 2023 grant cycle made a second grant award to the project of $30,000. The library is extremely grateful for the support of these foundations. Without these grant awards, the library could not hire temporary staff to work on this one-of-a-kind project.

Volunteers are still needed so the library can meet its goal of completing this massive project by December 2024! If you or someone you know is interested in being a SPMPP volunteer, please visit the county volunteer application portal at https://www.rowancountync.gov/1509/Volunteer. Questions can be emailed to Gretchen at Gretchen.Witt@rowancountync.gov or Librarian Paul Birkhead at Paul.Birkhead@rowancountync.gov.

Labor day closure notice flyer with red, purple, and black text and an image of workers standing together

A large group of students enjoy the 2019 Stories by the Millstream Feature teller Andy Irwin

A large group of 2nd grade students enjoy the 2019 featured storyteller, Andy Irwin.

Stories by the Millstream Returns

After three Millstream-less years, this special storytelling festival returns September 21. All Rowan County second grade students at public, private, charter and homeschools along with their teachers are invited to attend. Though the pandemic put the event on hold since 2020, the Friends of RPL and Rowan Public Library are delighted to bring it back for its official twenty-first year.

This annual event, generously sponsored by Friends of Rowan Public Library, invites storytellers to spin exciting tales for the county's second grade students to enjoy. All children see two North Carolina storytellers and a nationally recognized featured storyteller perform outdoors at beautiful Sloan Park. This year's featured storyteller is Milbre Burch, a Grammy-nominated spoken word artist who has performed across the United States, Europe, and Asia since 1978.

Stories By The Millstream is an event unique to Rowan County created by former Youth Services Librarian Marian Lytle, currently Director of Mooresville Public Library. RPL thanks Friends of RPL for its generous sponsorship and support of this wonderful opportunity to introduce Rowan County youth to the magic and excitement of live storytelling performance.

a photo of RPL South's display case featuring various yearbooks and other local school memorabilia

The foyer display case at RPL South is currently featuring yearbooks, pom-poms, graduation gowns, and more from local Rowan High Schools past and present.

"Our Old School Days" on Display at RPL

As the school year begins, RPL staff are looking back at school years past in a system-wide display called “Our Old School Days.” Exhibits at RPL Headquarters, East, and South include annuals, uniforms, graduation wear, and other memorabilia that recall earlier years in education. Using archived materials from the Edith M. Clark History Room and pieces donated from library staff, each location has worked to create interesting and educational historical memorials of old school days.

History Room Supervisor Gretchen Witt said that items featured at RPL Headquarters include photographs of early one-room schools and literary magazines from the former Boyden High School, which was originally opened in 1880. The school was integrated in 1964 and is now known as Salisbury High School. RPL East’s display focuses on early predecessors of East Rowan High School (1950) by showcasing 1940s yearbooks from Rockwell High School and Granite Quarry High School. Both of these are now the sites of Rockwell Elementary and Granite Elementary.

Branch Operations Manager Brooke Taylor wants to thank all of the RPL staff who contributed their personal memorabilia to the displays. “Adding caps, cords, letterman jackets, pom-poms, and other items from our staff members' school days really brings the displays to life and makes for interesting interactions with library customers.”

Be sure to visit HQ, East, and South during September to view these wonderful displays and harken back to your own formative school years. You may even get a glimpse of someone you know in one of the pictures!

Library Card Sign-up Month 2023 features characters from the popular Disney and Pixar film Elemental.

Library Card Sign-up Month Returns in September

This September, the library invites you to celebrate Library Card Sign-up Month by bringing friends, family, and new neighbors to your closest RPL location to sign them up for a library card or update an existing one. All month long, Rowan Public Library joins libraries around the country to celebrate the value of having a library card through special programs, storytimes, raffles, and games.

The shared resources libraries offer through library cards reduce the number of items households buy and dispose of, providing a simple way to save money, conserve resources, and reduce waste. Libraries help people of all ages navigate the complexities of life, providing access via library cards to research, information, and government services that allow everyone to lead more productive and fulfilling lives. Libraries contribute to a strong local economy by providing library card access to the technology and training that are critical to the success of job-seekers, entrepreneurs, and students.

Mayor Karen Alexander has proclaimed September 2023 Library Card Sign-Up month in the City of Salisbury. Rowan County Commissioners are scheduled to proclaim September Library Card Sign-Up month in Rowan County at their September 5 meeting.

To learn more about the benefits of having a Rowan Public Library card in your wallet and special Library Card Sign-up Month activities, stop by any RPL location or call 980-432-8670.

Free Virtual Author Talks Available in September

Rowan Public Library, with the support of the Friends of Rowan Public Library, is providing an amazing slate of virtual author talks this fall! Visit bit.ly/RPLVirtualAuthorTalks and register for the events that interest you.

This exciting series with award-winning and bestselling authors is not only free, but also easy to attend. No app, download, or login is required to attend the talks live or view the recordings later. If, after registering, something prevents you from watching a talk live, you will automatically receive a link to view the recording later at your convenience.

There are three exciting talks on the lineup for September 2023:

On Thursday, September 7 at 7 pm, hear acclaimed chef, restaurateur, author, and star of Lidia's Kitchen Lidia Banstianich discuss her books and career.

Next, on Wednesday, September 20 at 2 pm, tune in to hear author, professor of marketing, and the Stansky Teaching Excellence Faculty Fellow at New York University's Stern School of Business Adam Alter discuss his book Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When it Matters Most.

Finally, tune in Wednesday, September 27 at 8 pm to hear New York Times bestselling author Amor Towles. Towles will discuss his books Rules of Civility, The Lincoln Highway, and A Gentleman in Moscow.

RPL has copies of the featured authors' titles available for checkout. To learn more, call 704-216-8243.

blue graphic with white text and an image with a hand stamping a document advertising RPL's notary services

Rowan Public Library recognizes the following donations to the Rowan Public Library Foundation:

A gift in memory of Stuart Pitner to the Stuart Pitner Endowment given by Gavine Pitner

Rowan Public Library recognizes the following donations:

A gift in memory of Charles Jefferson Thompson to the Edith M. Clark History Room given by Kaye Brown Hirst

RPL Headquarters
201 W. Fisher Street
Salisbury, NC 28144

RPL East
110 Broad Street
Rockwell, NC 28138

RPL South
920 Kimball Road
China Grove, NC 28023

RPL West
201 School Street
Cleveland, NC 27013

rowanpubliclibrary.org
980-432-8670