Employees at the South County Regional Library recently found a surprise awaiting them at the bottom of the Book Drop: $650 in cash. Included was a note that read "Please use this money to buy books for children." No signature, no incentive, just an anonymous cash gift.

It seemed too good to be true. Staff members in the library's Finance department certainly thought it was. Gail Stem tested the bills with a counterfeit detecting pen, which revealed that the cash may indeed have been phony. "The gift came right at a time when there had been a lot of publicity in the media about counterfeit bills being passed in Charlotte, and all the bills were crisp and new," Stem reasoned. She carried her suspicions to the bank to have the money examined professionally.

Good news. The cash was real.

In June, The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County took a $3.6 million budget hit from the county and has consequently been forced to close Sundays for the summer.

In light of the current economic climate, the generous cash gift initially took Main Library employees by surprise. Now, however, it contributes to a sense of optimism and appreciation. "It was a remarkable gift given in the true spirit of giving," says PLCMC's Director of Development Dick Pahle.

Obligingly, the $650 has been put towards the purchase of children's books.


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. 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.