Today we’d like to introduce you to Yevonne Brannon.
Hi Yevonne, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
*Athens Drive Community Library opened in 1978 inside the Athens Drive High School as part of an agreement to share facilities and staff by the city of Raleigh, the Wake County school system, and Wake county government. For over four decades (47 years), Athens Drive Community Library has seamlessly partnered with these agencies offering many benefits to students, teachers, and community members of Southwest Raleigh. It has successfully served as a fundamental resource for education and upward mobility for West Raleigh residents. The library, operated by the county, has extensive holdings including the benefit of being able to borrow books from the other county library branches. The library is well-known for its extensive children’s inventory and special programs for children. Local public schools (5) and numerous church-run and private childcare centers and preschool programs also utilized Athens Drive Community Library.
It is used as a community hub where the community holds meetings and meets new friends. This public library branch is more than just a place to check out books—it offers educational programs, digital literacy training, and access to technology bridging the digital divide and providing resources for lifelong learning. It is the only place in the community with free computers and internet, often used by residents looking for jobs, conducting research, and enjoying a quiet place to read the newspaper or meet with your book club. Many students who do not have internet access at home rely on the library to do their homework and communicate with their teachers. Athens Drive high school students and teachers have a much vaster array of resources with a public library being part of their school. Research at Athens Drive High School shows that high school students engage in more leisure reading due to access to the public library in their school.
Athens Drive Community Library makes an impact:
*The library is walking distance from low income housing and City of Raleigh bus stops.
*Students and teachers in our community have a much vaster array of resources with a public library being nearby.
*The library serves culturally and economically diverse neighborhoods with many retirees and households with limited transportation.
*Internet, computer and printing access for adults and children without either is within walking distance and on bus route.
*Summer reading programs at the library help kids maintain and potentially improve their reading skills while away from school.
*The library is a safe community space for children and adults to gather for programming, making new friends and socializing.
ADCL serves a Uniquely Special Community:
*Multimodal Community: several Raleigh bus lines, NCSU student buses have numerous bus routes throughout the neighborhood, and nearly every street has sidewalks
*Nearly 12K people live within a 30 minute radius
*Culturally diverse and economically mixed community: $65,400 median income, 45.7% of residents are non-white, large family and NCSU student population
*The community around the library is one of the densest and fastest growing communities in Raleigh. Close to NC State campus, State Farmers Market, and the Beltline, 5 public schools, numerous churches, preschools and childcare centers, three city parks, a city pool and a city community center
*EPA rates land around the library as highly walkable and accessible to public transit.
*Possible replacement library sites include: the high school campus, city land on Avent Ferry Road next to the school, and city-held behind the high school on Jaguar Drive, and land across the street located on Athens Drive (held by private owner).
In 2021, the school system requested that the library only operate after school and on weekends which severely impacted library access and subsequent use. In 2022, the decision was to work on a plan to move the library out of the school and allow it to be a free-standing, full service, vibrant library that would still be a resource to the school and community with understanding that it could either on the school site or on an adjacent to the school site that was walkable and accessible to students and staff while serving the community. The County agreed this was a positive solution and agreed to replace the library thus the “Athens Drive Community Library Replacement Library” was listed as one of the County’s top priorities for the 2024 Library Bond Referendum. The community worked hard to support the bond which received countywide voter support.
Next up in the quest for a new library is the site selection for the replacement library which has become a huge struggle as the community is asking the county to keep promises made to the community. Further the complications of working with three sets of elected officials, all with different priorities and responsibilities has been incredibly challenging for library supporters.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not a smooth road at all. The community has been on continuous high-alert over the last two decades with high-stress in three different attempts in 2009, 2015 and 2021 to close the library. The considerable time and effort it has taken to lobby elected officials has been exhausting for our community, and harmed how many view politics and government. While our advocacy resulted in keeping our library and yielded a better long-term plan: a free-standing county library, we still have no site for the replacement library.
Our community has a transit overlay which means it has been approved by the city for high density and less parking required. In addition, we are scheduled to be on the new city rapid bus transit lane on Western Blvd. Being close to the University, I440 and I40 has also accelerated the growth and development in our area. The community is being rapidly developed with single family houses being torn down and 5-6 small houses or condos replacing the single house on the same plot. Another struggle we have is that the county staff are using a desired library footprint that has been used for the last 20 year old requiring more land than is usually available in a fast growing urban community. This approach by the county is limiting the sites they like and has slowed down the process of getting a site.
Nevertheless, there are still 3 very viable sites adjacent to Athens Drive High School. The community is very concerned that these sites will be developed into high-density apartments and the community will lose the opportunity to have a replacement library in the community. Keeping the Athens Drive name on the library is very important to the history of the library. Losing this amenity would speak poorly for the governing elected officials and their staff and be a cruel and heartbreaking result for the community who has fought so hard to keep the library since 2008. How awful for a community to watch the transition of their low-density single-family home community into high-density housing with taller buildings and more traffic, only to be told it does not have “enough space” for a library? We are asking the county and city to rethink their current suburban model that requires more land to the same urban model being used for housing, one that uses less land, is taller, and requires less parking. As Raleigh urbanizes its communities, it must find ways to allow residents the same amenities afforded in suburban communities. This is how good, smart growth works, no?
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Friends of Athens Drive Community Library ?
Friends of Athens Dr. Community Library is a grassroots community organization that has been advocating for our library over over two decades. In fact, many of our members have been involved with our work for over twenty years. Our membership consists of children, adults, seniors, families, homeowners and renters, and of course lots of students. Our youngest members have been the ones who made the advocacy signs when we attended city and county board meetings and they attend our meetings and participate.
They are some of our best speakers when we have addressed the city and county elected officials. We are proud of how responsive our community has been in the work to keep our community a great place to walk, to visit a library or park, to attend school and to live and raise a family without having to have a car. We show up for our neighbors and we care deeply for each other. We are not afraid of diversity in our community, in fact, we embrace it. The student housing in the community means that when visiting the Food Lion or a walk around Lake Johnson, we heard dozens of different languages spoken. We value that cultural gift. We hold strong environmental values and welcome density, fewer cars, affordable housing, more sidewalks and buses as good for our environment; however, we want to ensure that we are not making these concessions without being fairly allocated amenities that make living in our community great – parks, schools, pools and libraries!
What makes you happy?
We are so appreciative of the interest that the media has given our efforts to save our library! Getting media and community support is gratifying. Friends of Athens Drive Community Library has also reached out to Congresswoman Deborah Ross, Jane Harrison (District D Raleigh City Council), Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell, and Susan Evans, our Wake County Commission representative, to help us with site location. Their interest is encouraging and gives us great hope!
We invite the community to join our efforts to save our community library by letting our elected officials know this matters to you too!
We do believe that Athens Drive Community Library is a hidden gem! During the summer, we are open every day with regular hours like other libraries. We have a fabulous librarian, exciting summer programs, lots of books, and plenty of easy parking. For 47 years, our community library has been a place for community members of all walks of life to make new friends while utilizing programs and resources. We want to offer more programs that cater to both youth and seniors and provide opportunities for personal growth and community involvement. Seeing a new library “rebuilt” in our community that can be the vibrant place it once was would be thrilling! Please come visit our library and see for yourself!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.friendsofathensdrivecommunitylibrary.org/home
- Instagram: @friendsofadcl
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/FriendsofAthensDriveCommunityLibrary/
