Cleveland Children's Library
Cleveland has been asked to expand its children's collection to support the new census numbers, projected growth, and the needs of parents of public school children bumping into the book checkout limits and short hours in the school libraries. Home school parents and day care centers are expected to become a greater part of the library's circulation figures.
2011 Reporting numbers - June 4, 2011
- Easy Read - 9,000
- Juvenile - 9.000
- Young Adult - 2,000
There are two statistics, which drive our desire to increase the children's collection. Most North Carolina public libraries average 1/3 of their collection in the children's library and the library norm mandates at least 2 books per capita within a 15 minute drive. Since our temporary quarters have limited space, our start-up library tends to exist as a lending library without the desired space for games, reading, and relaxation. Even our computer lab is small, but it serves the community every day. The kids can select from 20,000 books. Our photos were taken during the 2011 Memorial Day holiday.
For those who visited the Basic Needs Ministry clothing closet and sales area before 2008, the first two picture were taken in the old toy room. Like many library animals, the bear and the rabbit are usually sleeping. It is expected that this room will fill its shelves to 100% and spread outside into the main room.
The wooden shelves in these pictures were built in 2003 and 2004, while 90' of commercial shelving was donated by Barnes and Noble in 2010, and the child size furniture and books were donated by local businesses and residents.
Patrons were somewhat dismayed when we had all the children's books neatly in order and then decided to pull the Juvenile and Young Adult into their own sections. Volunteer librarians and some mothers wanted a distinct separation between the youngest children's picture books and the older youth books with their more mature themes. 
Step out into the large room and work your way down the right side of the building and you will be in the Juvenile section with its 90' of shelves. Round the corner and return by the next aisle and you will find more Juvenile and Young Adult books. Since the children's section is larger than the total books in several Johnston libraries, Cleveland has requested volunteer time and funding for the book labels, tape, and library cards from local residents and its Friends of the Cleveland Library. The Friends have already been tapped along with local Target stores to purchase new releases for the adult section. Previous cash donations were used to buy a few hundred Scholastic books to fill holes in the Juvenile section.
The last three pictures were taken in the Juvenile and Young Adult aisles.
