Alamance County Public Libraries Launch Yearlong Centennial Events and Special Programming

This year, Alamance County Public Libraries is commemorating 100 years of nurturing minds, connecting communities, and building a thriving future," the library's website says, announcing a centennial that spans a full year of programming and community partnerships.

The celebration officially began as a yearlong initiative, with the site noting, "Kicking off in July 2025, we have an exciting year ahead, filled with a variety of events, collaborations, themed displays representing each decade, contests, storywalks, and prizes!" Social posts on the library's Facebook and Instagram pages encouraged public attendance, with Facebook saying, "The centennial celebration will be July 16th with everyone invited!" and Instagram adding, "We're kicking off our centennial celebration on July 16th at 12:00 p.m., and everyone's invited!"

Major offerings include a limited-edition ACPL library card, an ACPL Punch Card that lets patrons "Collect stamps to earn a prize! Receive a stamp for attending the following:" and a "Stories on the Big Screen" film series. The library site describes the movie program this way: "In collaboration with Graham Cinema, they are hosting a special film series that showcases movies adapted from popular novels." Mebane Public Library staff curated a music component labeled "Experience Music Through the Ages" that asks patrons to "Listen to curated music from each decade hand selected by staff at Mebane Public Library."

Monthly community partnerships are a central element of the centennial. The site promotes "### Coffee Break!" and states, "Each month, we are partnering with local coffee shops that will have special library-themed beverages." The library frames the year as a chance to bring events into neighborhoods and to work with local small businesses and cultural partners.

The centennial programming sits alongside the library's broader public service functions. The county website lists online and in-person resources including Health & Wellness, Job Help, Financial Wellness, Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) Benefits, Local History & Genealogy and transportation assistance. Transit access for events is noted with BookMARK information: "BookMARK Routes or call (336) 524-3242."

The library's online archive also contains historical material intended to deepen the celebration. An excerpt from the "Centennial History of Alamance County" urges preservation and study of local memory: "This work as an interesting review of the past in the history of this section, and as an inspiring challenge to generations whose leadership will shape and command the future of Alamance County, ought to be in every home, in the business offices, the schools, the libraries in the county—studied, protected, preserved because of its intrinsic value." Other archive passages preserve vivid episodes from the county's past, including accounts that name Reuben Searcy, Peter Craven, Sheriff Tyree Harris and Colonel Fanning.

For residents, the centennial revives the library as community infrastructure - a place for civic memory, family programming, small business partnerships and basic needs navigation. Specifics such as film lineups, participating coffee shops, the Limited Edition Library Card design and the list of activities that earn ACPL Punch Card stamps are being circulated by the library in stages; patrons may use BookMARK routes or call (336) 524-3242 for transit details. As the year unfolds, the centennial offers Alamance County a sustained moment to reflect on local history while providing practical ways to reconnect with neighbors, services and civic life.