April 13, 2009 (Charlotte, N.C.) – Visitors to the Plaza Midwood branch of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC) have been seeing a friendly new face recently. On April 6, Peter Jareo began his new role as manager of this community library branch.

Jareo expressed enthusiasm for the new opportunity. “I look forward to working in the diverse and eclectic Plaza Midwood community. It will be a pleasure to continue to make the library a vital and central part of the community and meet the growing needs of Plaza Midwood’s residents.”

Jareo came to the Charlotte area over 16 years ago and soon after embarked on his varied library career. He has experience in many communities within Mecklenburg County, having worked at the North County Regional Branch in Huntersville, the Arboretum Branch (which was replaced by the larger South County Regional Library in 1998), the Matthews Library Branch and, most recently, as manager of the Carmel Branch on Johnston Road. His career has also included service at UNC Charlotte’s Atkins Library. Jareo earned his Masters in Library Science at UNC Greensboro.

Carol Camenga, who had served as the manager of Plaza Midwood library until recently, has accepted a new assignment as the manager of the Hickory Grove branch library on W.T. Harris Blvd. The movements of Jareo and Camenga are part of an organizational restructuring effort at PLCMC 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, PLCMC’s Director of Library Experiences, who provides overall management for the library’s 24 public service locations, adds, “We are working both to ensure exceptional service and allow employees the ability to continue exceptional leadership,” says Singleton. “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 new locations and have the opportunity to have significant impact working with a variety of staff and 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 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.