Selena Giovannelli, Teleia White, Helen Hope Kimbrough and Jenni Gaisbauer (l to r) represented Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation at the International Public Library Fundraising Conference this past June.

Hello, fellow Library supporters!

In June of this year, I had the opportunity to attend the 2024 International Public Library Fundraising Conference. It was my first experience being with so many library professionals from various backgrounds to witness their powerful impact within the broader scope of public service – making certain that constituents who frequent the library are supported in an instrumental way, can obtain the respective services and resources needed, and cultivate a love of reading from the vast collection of books in traditional and digital formats.

This conference was hosted at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library and our foundation staff and team received a personal tour of the iconic exhibits that Martin Luther King Jr. was a part of as well as those who were instrumental in the civil rights movement, given its location in downtown DC. Additional elements from this conference that resonated with me consisted of:

• The generosity of sharing knowledge amongst libraries from across the country with the spirit of wanting every library represented to learn, grow, and succeed.

• The intentionality around bonding with fellow participants who embrace the library infrastructure in all of its forms and the desire to empower library constituents and uplift the community it serves.

• The awareness of our very own library system and the respect it garners nationally and internationally. On several occasions, I mentioned my affiliation with the Library and the Foundation board, and it warmed my heart to hear the favorable expressions by those touched or influenced by our Library.

As board chair, this experience has already shaped the beginning of my term and deepened areas that I plan to focus on. I’ll share these focus areas in the next edition of the Library Foundation’s newsletter Transformations. Look for your copy in the mailbox soon!

With gratitude,

Helen Hope Kimbrough
Chair, Board of Directors
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation

P.S. This will be my eighth time at Verse & Vino. It’s my all-time favorite event — I never miss it and you shouldn’t either. Click here to purchase your ticket or table today!