Friends of Orange County Public Library
July 2026 Newsletter
1981–2026: Celebrating 45 Years
Save the Date
Friends Fall Book Sale
Mark your calendars! The Friends Fall Book Sale returns this September at the Main Library in Hillsborough. Everyone is welcome! Come find your next great read and support the library at the same time!
Dates: September 17–20, 2026 · Main Library, Hillsborough
Public Hours: Fri Sept 18 & Sat Sept 19, 9 AM – 5 PM
Bag Day: Sun Sept 20, 12 – 4 PM (fill a bag for one low price!)
Friends Night: Members get exclusive early access the evening before the sale opens (17th). A great reason to make sure your membership is up to date!
Want to help make the sale a success? Watch your inbox; a call for book sale volunteers is coming soon!
Library Programs
Special Events This Month
Main Library
Teen After Hours Lock-In — Fri, July 17, 5:30–10:00 PM. Teens get to hang out at the library after closing, playing games, tackling challenges, and enjoying delicious pizza.
Unearthing Local History: Archaeology at Ayr Mount — Sat, July 18, 12:00–1:30 PM. UNC graduate and undergraduate students are working to reveal more of the property’s pre-colonial history through archival research and fieldwork. In this talk, they’ll share preliminary findings, including ground-penetrating radar and excavation work.
Song Keepers: American Hidden Musical Treasures — Sat, July 23, 6:30–8:30 PM. The Music Maker Foundation released “Song Keepers” to celebrate its 30th anniversary in downtown Hillsborough. Join Director Tim Duffy and song author Georgann Eubanks for a conversation on the essential cultural history the Foundation works to protect and promote.
Summer Reading Finale! Frozen Treats — Sat, July 25, 12:00–2:00 PM. All Summer Reading participants are invited to drop by for a cool treat as a thank-you for taking part this year.
Southern Branch
Creative Journaling Meet-ups with Carolina Cozy Journaling Club — Fri, July 31, 4:00–6:00 PM. For journal enthusiasts across North Carolina, whether you’re into daily journaling, collage spreads, or talking pens and planners, you’ve found your people. Bring your notebooks, stickers, or just yourself. Everyone’s welcome!
Board News
Meet Our New Board Member: Nerys Levy
The Friends are delighted to welcome Nerys Levy to our Board. Nerys has called Orange County home for 36 years, arriving from Southern California in 1990 with her late husband, anthropologist Robert Levy, a fellow at the National Humanities Center. She soon became a devoted Friend of the Carrboro Library, a group instrumental in establishing the Carrboro Branch Library in 1995 and in the decades-long effort that led to the opening of the Southern Branch in February 2025. Her chapter earned two Friends Awards from the Friends of North Carolina Public Libraries, including recognition for the Library Arts program that Nerys chaired for 25 years.
Born and raised in a Welsh-speaking home in North Wales, Nerys holds a PhD in Modern South Asian History from SOAS, University of London, and has worked across London, South Africa, India, and Jamaica. A landscape painter, she has exhibited nationally and internationally, from the Norwegian Arctic to Antarctica, and serves as a member artist and Outreach Chair at FRANK Gallery in Carrboro.
Nerys looks forward to bringing the Carrboro Friends together with the Friends of Orange County Public Library. Please join us in welcoming her!
Donations
Book Donations Needed
With the Fall Book Sale coming up, now is the perfect time to donate. Do you have gently-used books? Donate them for the Friends book sale. Proceeds directly support the library.
We can use: Fiction, classics, non-fiction, children’s books
Small donations: Bring to front desk · Large: Email focplnc@gmail.com
Upcoming Meeting
Next Board Meeting
The Friends Board meets regularly, and all are welcome. Tonight, Thursday, July 16 at 7:00 PM ET, via Zoom.
Topic: July FOCPL Board Meeting
Time: Jul 16, 2026 – 7:00 PM ET
Meeting ID: 879 8602 2240 · Passcode: 468713
Join Zoom Meeting →
Agenda: Call to Order · Approval of Minutes · Treasurer’s Report · Membership Report · Library Report · Business (Fall Book Sale, MOU, Website, Carrboro Members) · Adjourn
As always, thank you for being a Friend!
Sincerely,
William McLean, President
