History :
In March 1972 the Raleigh city council proposed that the south side of Raleigh receive a branch library. A site was found, the staff was hired and South Raleigh Library opened its doors January 1973. The library was located at 1514 Proctor Rd, and Jo Anne Cannady was the first branch manager. The library location in a complex with a convenience store and a supper club posed some difficulties but library staff worked hard and in May 1975 four new staff members were hired. Wesley C. Alston, a native of Raleigh and a recent graduate of Saint Augustine College, was hired as the new supervisor. The operating hours were Monday - Friday 1:30-5:30. In spite of innovative programs and good service, circulation was deemed too low to support the high cost of service for this branch, and in 1977 the Raleigh Advisory Library Board voted 4-1 to temporarily relocate or close it. Proposals for relocation were taken to the Raleigh City Council, but they voted to leave the library in the Southgate location.
Since the library was to remain its current location, the question became how to design a program of service, regardless of the location, that would more accurately reflect and meet the needs of the community.
In 1978 a new assistant, Barbara Richburg, and a new branch manager, Barbara Alston, were hired. New operating hours were established Mon., Wed., Fri., & Sat. 9-5:30; Tues. & Thurs. 9-9; and Sun. 1:30 - 5:30.
The new staff jumped right in established a community advisory board and recruited groups to attend children's story time and adult programs. The children's programmer, Ron Jones, and Mrs. Richburg handled all the programming. Location continued to be a problem so it was decided to relocate the branch to 507 Newcombe Rd. Rather than close the branch completely before the new location was ready the hours were changed to accommodate groups presently attending programs. On Feb. 5, 1981 South Raleigh Library opened its doors at the new location. Then there was word about a shopping center being built near Rock Quarry and Cross Link Roads. Putting the library in a shopping center in Southeast Raleigh was predicated to be the best permanent solution for this wandering branch, so South Raleigh Library packed up and moved again. The doors opened at the Southgate Plaza address November 15, 1985. The branch was remodeled in 1993 with a whole new look, new furniture and new shelving for the first time. In February 1999, three Internet and one word processing stations were added for public use.
