The year isn’t over yet, but a lot has happened already. Here’s what members, volunteers, donors, and neighbors have made possible in 2026.
01 · The People
The Friends Behind It
229 memberships and community donors stand behind the library, 77 of them new in 2026. Membership is the steady base every book sale and grant is built on.
02 · What They Raised
Volunteers Made It Possible
Those hours go into book sales, events, and behind-the-scenes help, wherever an extra set of hands is needed; the semiannual sales and the ongoing shelf are run entirely by volunteers.
Where 2026 income came from
Raised, and spent for the library, by year
03 · What Support Made Possible
What the Friends Funded in 2026
The projects below came to $20,164. The treasurer’s records show $3,242 of the year’s spending going toward the library and its people, through direct grants and staff and volunteer appreciation. More than $128,300 for the library and its people since 2017.
03b · One Program, Up Close
Summer Reading in 2026
Summer Reading is one of the things we’re proud to support each year. The 2026 theme was “Unearth New Adventures”.
Dinosaurs, archaeology and paleontology, oh my! The May 30 kickoff drew more than 1,200 people to River Park for face painting, balloons, Poetry Fox’s typed-to-order poems and a fossil dig. This was the biggest summer to date!
The Library in 2026
Friends support is only part of the story. Here’s what was happening at the library itself.
Orange County files these figures after the year ends, so 2026 is not in the state series yet. Here is where the last four filed years left the library.
2022–2025, North Carolina public library statistics filed by Orange County. The window opens just after the pandemic years, so the earliest bar is itself a recovering year. Explore library statistics →
The Week Orange County Spoke Up
When the county proposed cutting $200,000 from the library, the community answered, and the Board reversed course. The branches stayed open seven days a week.
In Their Words
"The Friends’ support provides nourishment to turn our librarians’ bright ideas into flourishing resources for the community. The value of service and volunteer help by the Friends contributes to the thriving growth of the Orange County Main Library."
– Nancy Crews, Branch ManagerThank you all for your support! We couldn't do this without you!
OCPL librarianThank you for all you do to support us!
OCPL librarian15 years of newsletters in the archive, going back to 2011.
Browse the archiveNone of this happens without you. Thank you for being a Friend.
