Timeline

Dr. Aaron McDuffie Moore sets up a small library in the Baraca Room of the White Rock Baptist Church.

The library moves into a building owned by John Merrick at the corner of Fayetteville and Pettigrew streets and becomes the Durham Colored Library. Hattie B. Wooten becomes its first librarian.

The city of Durham begins appropriating money to the Durham Colored Library.

Dr. Stanford L. Warren assumes the presidency of the Durham Colored Library Board of Trustees.

Selena Warren Wheeler becomes the library’s second director.

The Durham Colored Library moves into a new building and becomes the Stanford L. Warren Public Library.

The library purchases its first bookmobile and begins service to rural parts of Durham County.

Ray N. Moore becomes the third library director.

Lyda Moore Merrick, chair of the board of trustees, and John C. Washington found the Library Corner for the Blind. They would later found Negro Braille Magazine, reprinting Braille versions of newspaper and magazine articles of interest to African Americans.

An annex is built to expand the library building.

The McDougald Terrace Community Library of the library opens.

The John Avery Boys Club branch opens.

The Bragtown branch opens.

Emerson Greenaway, executive director of the Philadelphia public library system, is hired to evaluate the administration of Durham’s public libraries. He recommends, among other measures, consolidating the white and African-American library systems.

The two public library systems in Durham merge. The Stanford L. Warren Library becomes a branch of the Durham City-County Library. Ray N. Moore, library director at Warren, is appointed assistant director of the city-county library. Margaret W. Whisenton becomes head of extension services for the new system, which involves overseeing all branches.

A new entrance for the Stanford L. Warren Branch Library is completed.

Negro Braille Magazine is renamed Merrick-Washington Magazine for the Blind.

The library increases its children’s programming efforts over the next several years. Programs such as cooking classes, story hours and the after-school Homework Hotline program are initiated.

The Friends of Stanford L. Warren Branch Library is organized. The Friends obtain a $245,000 appropriation from county commissioners for a major renovation of the library building.

The library loses a longtime friend and champion with the death of Lyda Moore Merrick. She was 96 years old.

The library celebrates 50 years at its current location. The Negro Collection is renamed the Selena Warren Wheeler Collection in honor of Wheeler and her staff.

The Stanford L. Warren Branch Library undergoes a two-year, $2 million renovation.

Myrtle Darden replaces retiring manager Brenda Watson-Hall as head of Stanford L. Warren.