Approximately three times a year, the New Hanover County Public Library receives a shipment of books in foreign languages from the Cumberland County Public Library.  These books are available for all NHCPL users.

The collection includes books in Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Hindi, Gujarati, Russian, French, German, and Spanish.  Most are novels by foreign authors, but translations of English titles and children's books may be available.

The foreign language collection is located at the Main Library next to the Reference desk. The books may be borrowed for up to three weeks, but checkout is limited to only two foreign language titles at one time.  

For over 20 years, North Carolina used state and federal funds available for library services to non-English speakers to build and operate a foreign language library in Fayetteville, where the largest number of the state's immigrants were concentrated around Fort Bragg.  Because of recent cutbacks in library funding at all levels., the cost of operating this service has fallen on Cumberland County Public Library.  The Library now pays the Cumberland county Library $2500 per year to continue to receiving foreign language deposit collections.

For more information on the foreign language collection, please call the Main Library Information desk at 798-6301.