Stanford L. Warren Branch Library

Reopening in December 2024
Stanford L. Warren Branch Library

1201 Fayetteville Street
Durham, NC 27707
Directions

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This week’s hours

Reopening in December 2024

Getting here

Bus routes

GoDurham 5
GoDurham 8

Bike racks

At the front of the building

Parking

Free lot with limited spaces. Free street parking also available.

Amenities

  • Drive-up book drop
  • Infant changing stations
  • Bookable rooms

Sorry, Durham County Library does not offer notary services.

Common tasks

Technology

  • Public internet access computers

    Computers with internet access are available for public use at all Durham County Library locations.

    Public internet access computers details

  • Wireless internet access

    You can connect your own device to the internet at any of our locations. Our wireless internet access is free and does not require a password. Look for the network named “DCo Library Public.” Heads up – our network is an unsecured network.

  • Hotspots for checkout

    Your Durham County Library card lets you borrow a mobile hotspot to take the internet wherever you go!

    Hotspots for checkout details

  • Printing

    You can print to printers at Stanford L. Warren from your mobile device or home computer by using our mobile printing website.

    You can also print by sending an email with attachment(s) to these addresses:

    Printing details

  • Scanners

    Scanners are available at all locations. Our scanners have both flatbed and document feeder options. They can handle up to legal sized (8.5″ x 14″) documents. Scanning is free of cost.

  • Copiers

    Copiers are available at all locations. There is a small fee that can be paid by credit card at Main Library's adult computers and in cash at our other locations. The minimum credit card charge is $1.

    Copiers details

  • Fax

    Fax machines are available for public use at all Durham County Library locations. Faxing is free of cost.

Assistive technology

More assistive technology info

  • BigKeys keyboard

    Helps with typing for people with mobility and/or visual impairments. This multi-colored keyboard has bigger than normal keys to make it easier to see letters and select just one key at a time while typing at a computer. The multi-colored keys also pro

  • BigKeys keyboard keyguard

    Can be placed over the BigKeys keyboard to help in selecting only a single letter or key at a time.

  • Trackball mouse

    This mouse is a handheld pointing device that requires little wrist or hand movement. You can control it with very limited finger movement. It can also be used to control an on-screen keyboard, available at every computer through Microsoft Office.

  • Keyboard type aid

    Fits over your hand to help select keys on a keyboard or turn the pages of an open book.

  • Handheld video magnifier

    Magnifies text and images, with the option of changing the color contrast for easy visual discernment based on your preferences. The magnifier can be held in your hand or placed on an open book.

  • Adaptive joystick

    A handheld pointing device that requires limited hand movement, with different grips available based on your preference. It can also be used to control the on-screen keyboard, available at every computer through Microsoft Office.

Special features at Stanford L. Warren Branch Library

All the Possibilities of Four-Eighths II, by Vernon Pratt - a large, rectangular, black-and-white, painting with many geometric shapes

Art collection

Curated by library staff, the collection seen throughout the building features modern and contemporary works that offer inspiration and enjoyment.

Corner in the children's area with low colorful shelves of books and a tall tree mural branching overhead

Children's area

More about Stanford L. Warren

Stanford L. Warren Library became the new home of the historic Durham Colored Library on January 17, 1940. Only the second Black library in the state, the Durham Colored Library first opened to the public on August 14, 1916. The branch is named for Dr. Stanford L. Warren, who gave $4,000 during the Great Depression to secure the site for the new building. The annex was added in 1949-1950, and renovations occurred in 1968, 1984-1985, and 2004-2006. The library became part of the Durham County Library system when the Black and white library systems merged in 1966. Stanford L. Warren is also the home of the Selena Warren Wheeler Collection, formerly known as the Negro Collection. The original 799 volumes with which Dr. Aaron Moore began the Durham Colored Library contained a number of books by and about African Americans and African-American culture. In 1942, Head Librarian Selena Wheeler, recognizing the uniqueness and importance of many of the African-American materials owned by the library, designated the Negro Collection as a special, non-circulating collection. It was renamed the Selena Warren Wheeler Collection in her honor in 1990. The Collection remains at the Stanford L. Warren Library for all to enjoy. Stanford L. Warren has been an important community resource and a gathering place for civic and service organizations throughout its history, especially during the civil rights era. More about the history of Stanford L. Warren

Manager

L. Daniels

Email: ldaniels@dconc.gov

Larry received his M.L.S. from NCCU. He became a librarian because he enjoys research and being in the know of the emerging ways of learning new information. Larry offers programs that revolve around health, business, and emerging technology. His hobbies involve spending time with family, fitness, and research.

The historic brick facade of Stanford L. Warren, with the library name carved above the former main entrance
The building's historic facade and former main entrance on Fayetteville Street
Two people work together at a public computer, with wooden bookcases, abstract art, and phrases related to the branch's history on the wall behind them
Library staff at the children's area info desk
The children's area
Row of bookshelves in the children's area, with a table and chairs at the end
Tree mural in the corner of the children's area, in the background past bookshelves and posters
A hand reaches to pull an old book from a shelf behind an opened cabinet door
The Selena Warren Wheeler Collection
Wooden shelves of books lining the walls of the main reading room
The main reading room at Stanford L. Warren, with people using public computers, tables and chairs, and bookshelves lining the walls
The main reading room
All the Possibilities of Three Into Four, by Vernon Pratt - a large, triangular, red yellow and blue painting with many geometric shapes. It hangs on the wall above an opening with the main checkout desk below and the children's area across the lobby
All the Possibilities of Four-Eighths II, by Vernon Pratt (1977 - sprayed, acrylic), hanging above the checkout desk
Glass-fronted main entrance to Stanford L. Warren set in the historic brick facade
The main entrance to Stanford L. Warren Branch Library
A library staff member sitting at the checkout desk, with the main reading room in the background
Library staff are ready to help at the checkout desk
Painted portrait of Aaron McDuffie Moore, M.D., with the checkout desk and library staff visible in the background
Portrait of Aaron McDuffie Moore, Durham's first Black physician and a founder of the Durham Colored Library
Painted portrait of Dr. Stanford L. Warren
Portrait of Dr. Stanford L. Warren, namesake of the Stanford L. Warren Branch Library and donor of the land on which it was built
Framed black-and-white photographs with scenes from Stanford L. Warren's history hanging on the lobby walls
Photographs and documents displayed through the building illustrate the Stanford L. Warren Library's history
Painted portrait of Dr. Stanford L. Warren hanging above a plaque explaining that the building was named in his honor, set on a brick wall between two decorative interior windows
Portrait of Dr. Stanford L. Warren above a plaque dedicating the building to him
The building lobby, with paintings, photographs, and an entryway into the main space of the building
Corner labeled "Teen Zone," with a person sitting at a table using a laptop, a public computer station nearby, and shelves of DVDs