On Mary Louise Phillips’ retirement from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, then Director Hoyt Galvin noted that hiring her was his best day’s work ever in his 30 years at the Library.

She became head librarian of the North Carolina Room in 1960 and expanded it from a small collection of local history and genealogy to one that covered five southern states.

“It was a natural [fit] for Mary Louise. When she got in there, the room began to take on a personality. She was dedicated to the job…” Galvin remarked. “In that type of operation, you get all the books you can, but books aren’t enough. You’ve got to pick up everything that is loose around town, stuff that will be the local history in 25 years. She knew how to do it.”

There are countless stories in the Charlotte Observer by local writers who visited the Carolina Room seeking her help including when the popular 1977 television series Roots kept Mary Louise and her small staff busy as the public’s interest in genealogy took off. Her work laid the foundation for what is today, the largest genealogical collection in a North Carolina public library.

Even after retirement, she continued to donate every year. It was no surprise that she remembered the Library in her estate. Upon her death in 2013, Mary Louise established a fund for her beloved North Carolina Room.

Her legacy of historical preservation will live on with the acquisition of a Digital Transitions Atom planetary scanner.

This will allow us to begin digitizing materials at scale and in compliance with current quality guidelines,” said John O’Connor, Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room Manager. “We will be digitizing over 500 maps and all our film collections that chronicle a changing Mecklenburg County over the last 150 years. This scanner will also allow us to explore digitizing other types of material, such as 3D objects.”

Our intrepid archives and special collection team continues the work that Mary Louise Phillips championed during her lifetime. “Her 95 years of community impact opens a new chapter today.”