High Point Library Joins Statewide Catalog, Expands Access Countywide

The High Point Public Library completed integration with NC Cardinal on November 3, 2025, linking its catalog and circulation systems to a statewide network that allows patrons to request materials from participating libraries across North Carolina. Under the new arrangement patrons can request and borrow items from thousands of holdings and have those items delivered to their preferred High Point location through the consortium portal.

The move immediately broadened access to library materials far beyond the local collection. NC Cardinal participants collectively make nearly 8 million items available through a unified catalog, creating a more expansive pool of books, audiovisual materials, and research resources for High Point residents. The library continues to operate its Heritage Research Center for local history and genealogy and to host youth and adult programming. Partnerships with the High Point Museum and other cultural institutions remain in place, positioning the library as a central hub for research and community events.

Institutionally the shift reflects a strategic choice by library leadership to prioritize resource sharing and interlibrary delivery over strictly local acquisition for every title. That decision can improve access for residents who need specialized materials, and it can reduce duplication of purchases across systems. At the same time it raises governance and budgetary questions that officials and patrons may wish to follow, including how delivery costs and system maintenance will be funded, and how the library will balance local collection development with reliance on statewide holdings.

For Guilford County residents the practical benefits are immediate. Expanded catalog access supports student research, adult education, and family programming by making a wider array of materials available without requiring travel. The Heritage Research Center retains its role for local genealogy and history research. More broadly, a larger shared catalog can strengthen civic engagement by improving access to information that underpins informed participation.

Library officials and municipal policymakers will need to provide ongoing clarity about operational changes, budget implications, and service priorities so that residents can assess how the consortium membership will shape local library services in the years ahead.