Community Profile

Chapel Hill literary feats could fill a book
It’s a balmy Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill, and the public library is hopping. But that’s not unusual for what is North Carolina’s busiest library serving one of the state’s most literate and literary counties.

“About a thousand people use the library daily,” says Kathleen Thompson, its director. “We’re also No. 1 in the state for circulation per capita.” The average Chapel Hill resident checks out nearly 14 books per year, she says, compared to a state average of about four and a half. The municipal library also boasts a healthy number of volunteers. “Last year, we got about 3,000 hours of volunteer work,” Thompson says.  

The library moved to its present 27,000-square-foot location in 1994 after outgrowing its previous digs on Franklin Street. But already there are calls for yet more space, about twice as much, according to a consultant study that examined the library’s usage.

Elsewhere in Orange County, rich traditions of reading and writing are noticeable. An historic Carrboro schoolhouse is home to the North Carolina Writer’s Network, a membership group of 1,800 that includes writers in 23 states and a dozen countries. Among the network’s programs is its innovative Center for Business and Technical Writing, which offers seminars and workshops around the state for professionals hoping to sharpen their written communications skills.

In recent years, Orange County has become home to a growing cadre of well-known writers. They include authors, poets, essayists, journalists and screenwriters. “The university’s presence was certainly key to nurturing the creative people here, but it’s not the only factor,” explains D.G. Martin, a syndicated columnist and host of UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Bookwatch” — and also a Chapel Hill resident. “It’s really the presence here of writers who are supportive of their fellow writers. People here celebrate the success of their colleagues instead of criticizing them.”

Some in Orange County have turned their love of books into a viable business model. Such was the genesis of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. The publishing firm was started in 1982 by Louis Rubin, a UNC English professor. Seven years later it would become a unit of New York’s Workman Publishing. “Louis’s idea was not to be a regional press,” explains Shannon Ravenel, a former Rubin student who has been with the company since the beginning. “He wanted it to be a national publishing house that was accessible to writers who didn’t have contacts in New York.” That meant starting off with authors who were nearby, Ravenel says. She credits the county’s quality-of-life with attracting writers and inspiring them to success. “It’s a nice place to live, and writers like that.”  — Lawrence Bivins

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