The 203 Project Unveils a New Chapter in Public Library Resources

Carrboro was the largest town in North Carolina without a free-standing library—until now thanks to a small group of dedicated residents working together for change.

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“I have spent 32 years of my life fighting to get this library,” said Nerys Levy, one of the founders and of Friends of Southern Branch Library. 

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The $42 million building, slated to open summer 2024, will house the new Orange County Southern Branch Library as well as the arts and culture center, Carrboro’s relocated parks and recreation offices, Orange County Skills and Development Center, the WCOM radio station, meeting rooms, and a parking deck with 171 vehicle parking spaces and 70 bike parking spots. 

 

Carrboro is embarking on a journey to redefine its educational landscape, promising a future where learning is not just a privilege but a fundamental right, said Erin Sapienza, the director of Orange County Public Library. 

 

The Southern Branch Library will be a “one-stop shop,” Sapienza said, where people can access career counseling, learning workshops, books in multiple languages and a network of resources that are centered around accessibility.

The Friends of Southern Branch Library – a four-member nonprofit library support group – and a small collective of advocates dedicated their time to help the local library system thrive and, more recently, survive. Out of their grassroots efforts, the 203 Project was born to address the accessibility needs of the county. 

 

“We never gave up the fight. And that was the most important thing. And the Town of Carrboro has been enormously supportive,” said Levy, who was Indy Weekly’s 2015 Citizen of the Year and is chairperson of the Art Committee for the Friends of the Southern Branch Library.

 

The Friends of Southern Branch Library has been spearheading the push for Carrboro to build a standalone library since before the Carrboro Branch Library closed in 2021 because of the pandemic. Until it closed, the Carrboro Branch Library operated for 26 years with limited hours inside the media center at McDougle Middle School.

 

After the library closed, Carrboro was left with only the Cybrary, a compact space in the Carrboro Century Center downtown which is equipped with four desktop computers and a dozen bookshelves, serving a community of more than 20,000 residents.

 

The absence of a free-standing library in Carrboro has been a “glaring” issue for residents because of the Cybrary’s limited resources and the challenges many face finding ways to get to the Orange County Main Public Library in Hillsborough, according to Levy. 

 

The 203 Project is the culmination of diverse perspectives, bringing together Orange County public officials, former Carrboro Mayor Lydia E. Lavelle, school boards, town officials and community members. 

 

Orange County Manager Bonnie Hammersly signed the 203 Project’s development agreement in late 2017, and the town broke ground in 2022. The project is named after its address on 203 Greensboro St., one of Carrboro’s busiest throughfares, with nearly 10,000 cars on average using the road each day.

 

“The community itself is the library. It has to do with what the community needs and wants,” said Ron Bergquist, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science, who specializes in public library policy and North Carolina’s public library systems.

 

After serving as the interim director of Orange County’s library system for nine months, Sapienza became director in July 2022. 

 

To break down barriers between community members and public libraries, Sapienza led an initiative for the Orange County Public Library system to become 'fine-free' in 2021.

 

“This is an issue of equity," Sapienza said. "Library fines disproportionately affect community members who face economic challenges. We want to ensure that all residents have equal access to services, and removal of this barrier moves us forward in that effort."

 

Sapienza said the 203 Project’s many years of development provided the planning committee with an opportunity to further address the community's accessibility needs.

 

The new library was intentionally placed in a strategic location, ensuring its connectivity to bike and bus routes that connect the library to surrounding areas. 

 

The 203 Project’s transportation integration is a crucial resource for the immediate Carrboro community and Orange County as a whole, fostering a more inclusive and accessible learning environment. 

 

“Libraries are the bastions of democracy. They're the levellers. When nobody has anything at all, this is where they come to,” Levy said. 

 

The 203 Project was formulated on the premise of an evolving library. As educational landscapes transform cultural literacy, community engagement and language accessibility become paramount, Carrboro continues to adapt to its community’s needs.

 

Libraries should not only address individual needs, but also implement strategic initiatives to systematically enhance accessibility, said Stephanie Rosen, the accessibility specialist at the University of Michigan Library. 

 

Levy explained the 203 Project, at its conception, recognized the ethical responsibility to improve accessibility in the immediate and adjacent communities, fostering partnerships with local school systems and community organizations to strengthen Orange County’s learning landscape. 

 

The 203 Project redefines libraries as a dynamic place that adapts to changing community needs and leads in accessibility, echoing the voices that fueled its creation.

 

“Libraries are probably used now more than ever before. Where people can go and be. They’re a community haven,” Levy said.