The Wake County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously today to change the name of Village Regional Library to “Oberlin Regional Library.” 

The new name honors Oberlin Village, which was established in the late 1860s and was the largest Reconstruction-era settlement in Wake County.

“By honoring this community and the people who lived there, we are recognizing and celebrating a very important part of Wake County’s rich history,” said Commissioner Matt Calabria.

This is the second name change for the library. In March 2021, the board voted to change its name from Cameron Village Regional to Village Regional. The decision came after owners of the shopping center, which was built on land owned by people who held slaves, chose to drop its connection to the Cameron family.

The City of Raleigh opened the Cameron Village branch as a 2,500-square-foot storefront library in 1974. In the early 1980s, Wake County took over the operation of the branch and in 1985 relocated it to a larger space.

Since then, the library has gone through additional renovations and expansions and is now the county’s largest regional library at 36,000 square feet. The library is a leased facility with a 20-year term.

Library staff will develop an exhibit inside the facility to educate visitors on why the change was made.

Learn more about Wake County Public Libraries at wakegov.com/libraries.