April 8, 2009 (Charlotte, N.C.) – Visitors to the Hickory Grove branch of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC) have been seeing a new face recently. On April 6, Carol Camenga began her new role as manager of this small, community library branch.

Camenga brings a wealth of experience to the Hickory Grove branch and is excited about the future of this neighborhood library, which includes the construction of a larger replacement branch at the corner of W.T. Harris and Hickory Grove Road. In her eight years as manager of the Plaza Midwood branch library, Camenga oversaw two renovations and the installation of additional internet computers and self sufficient equipment. Under Camenga’s leadership, the Plaza Midwood branch has also been active in community events, including the local Art Krawl.

Camenga earned her undergraduate degree in Educational Media from Western Carolina University and her Masters in Library Science from the University of South Florida in Tampa. Prior to coming to Charlotte, she served as a library branch manager in Pasco County, Florida, and gained experience in other roles such as school media specialist, library information specialist, reference librarian, project assistant for a library consortium and manager of a used book store.

Michelle Flowe, who has served as the manager of Hickory Grove library until recently, has accepted a new assignment as the manager of the Carmel branch library on Johnston Road. The movements of Camenga and Flowe 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 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.