Wayne County Public Library

Mission:
The purpose of Wayne County Public Library, Inc. is to provide our community with information, materials, and services that support learning and the workplace; promote an appreciation of our history and diverse cultures; and offer community members the opportunity to meet and interact with others in the community.

History:
In 1902, the Goldsboro Women's Club founded and supported the first public library in Goldsboro. The ladies that participated in the club had a great interest in books. They would hold book receptions over at Parrot's Shoe Store on Walnut Street.At these gatherings; they gave critiques on books that they previously read. In order to be admitted, you had to donate a book to the club. They decided to start a circulating library that was under the supervision of Mrs. Solomon Weil. The collection consisted of over 1,000 bound volumes and several periodicals. There were twenty bookcases which the books and periodicals were kept in, and locks and keys were used for security purposes.

The local towns that benefited from the library's services were Greenleaf, Webtown , Factory Hill. The cases of books were also sent to the surrounding counties of Lenoir, Sampson, Duplin, Ash, Green, Carteret, Caldwell and Perquimans. An annual book reception was held during the winter. Every person that attended donated a new book or a gift of money. This event enabled the library's collection to grow quite rapidly.

On January 11, 1976 a dedication ceremony took place for the opening of a brand new library. It had cost over $750,000 to build. The Goldsboro Alderman and Wayne County Commissioners each set aside $312,500 from their revenue sharing funds in order to finance the construction. The library board was also able to give $125,000 to the project from donations and fundraising. The building included a local history room and a miniature auditorium; and shelving for up to 90,000 volumes. When the library first opened, there was a 64 percent increase in the number of children's and adult books, a 168 percent increase in library patrons cards and more than a 50 percent increase in persons using the library for one reason or another. Some of the popular services that the library provided at the time were movies, Dial-A-Story, and guest speakers.

During the 1990's, the library worked at providing its patrons with the latest in multi media technology. In May of 1991, the library installed a computer automated catalog system. During this time, the library began to offer a wide variety of videos and books on tape to its collection. Towards the end of the decade, the use of Internet access and full text data base systems became available. This allowed a patron to find unavailable information conveniently. To meet the library's needs in the upcoming 21st Century, it plans on expanding and making renovations to its facility.