In Memory of Martha

When Martha Brunstein passed away on December 26, we lost a voracious reader, a staunch library advocate and a true Friend. Martha served as President of the Friends of Chapel Hill Public Library from 2009 to 2018 and helped the organization grow both its income and impact. 

As President, Martha played a vital role in advocacy efforts for the expanded and renovated Library. Once the building re-opened, she founded the Friends Book Store, which was located on the Library’s lower level and has since moved online. Even if you didn’t know Martha personally, you probably encountered her – at a Meet the Author Tea, checking customers in and out at the Big Book Sales, slipping a Friends brochure into the books you bought at the store, or just somewhere in the Library which must have felt like her second home. 

Speaking of home, Martha often told the story of how the Library played a major role in her decision to retire in Chapel Hill. When visiting each prospective town and community, she considered the local library an essential stop and deciding factor. When she came to Chapel Hill and drove up Library Drive, the “Little Girl Reading” statue out in front reminded her of herself as a young girl who always had a book in her hand. She said that once she entered the Library, the decision was made on where her retirement home would be.

We will miss Martha for a good long time – and we will feel her impact on the Library and the community for an even longer time. If you’d like to join us in honoring Martha’s life and legacy, here are a few ways to do it:

• Shop the Friends Online Book Store, founded by Martha. 
• Make a donation in Martha’s memory to the Friends of the Library.
  
• Become a Friends Member (or renew your existing Membership).
  

The “Little Girl Reading” statue has since moved inside the Library.  The next time you’re in the building, take a look at it and remember Martha with us.