Charlotte native Trilby Meeks is the new manager of Freedom Regional Library. Meeks began her career at the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC) in 1989. She left the library in 1992 to purse graduate studies full-time and later went on to work as a librarian with Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools. She returned three years later and has been at PLCMC ever since. Before taking on her new role as manager of Freedom Regional, Meeks was promoted several times. She was the Assistant Branch Manager at Mint Hill for ten years and also served as Interim Manager. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Delaware and her Master of Library Science from the University of South Carolina.

One of her first goals will be to get to know the Freedom Regional community. “I recognize the strong ties and innovative programs that have been developed and I want to build on them.” She said she is also looking forward to the experience of managing a library that is so closely linked to the students at Philip O. Berry High School. “I talk to teens every day. I already know some by name and have even had the opportunity to meet some of their parents.” She says she’d also like to make Freedom Regional “a preferred destination for families.”

Meeks’ move to Freedom Regional is part of an organizational restructuring effort called “Imagine 2010,” designed to realign the library with the needs of the community. The library has been working on this since 2006, but more recently, budget concerns and a hiring freeze have caused the library to look internally to fill roles created in the new structure.

David Singleton, Director of Library Experiences said, “These staff members are highly qualified individuals who have performed very well in their previous locations. They will bring their strengths and leadership abilities to their new positions and will have the opportunity to significantly impact both their staff and library customers.”

Since its founding in 1903 as a Carnegie Free Library, PLCMC has provided community service and outreach to the citizens of the Charlotte area. One of the premier libraries in the country, PLCMC has been recognized as a “Five Star” library in a national index of public library service from Library Journal and was named winner of the 2006 National Award for Library Service. The library sponsors a variety of community-based programs, from computer and Internet workshops to the award-winning Novello Festival of Reading, a celebration of the joys of reading and learning. With 24 locations, 1.4 million volumes, 79,000 DVDs, CDs and audiobooks, and a vast selection of titles available to download from the library’s web site, PLCMC is dedicated to its mission of expanding minds, empowering individuals and enriching the community.