Scheduled to open in 2012, the James B. Hunt, Jr. Library will be the most innovative and collaborative space in the country. In addition to housing the textiles and engineering collections, it will be the home to the Institute for Emerging Issues and the new Emerging Issues Commons.

The Emerging Issues Commons is an interactive space dedicated to understanding and addressing North Carolina’s most pressing challenges.

The Commons is designed to inform, inspire and engage North Carolina’s citizens around the issues we’re faced with – and ultimately acting on them.

Visitors will hear from North Carolina leaders like Governor Hunt on how this state has been able to overcome obstacles in the past, the actions it took to move forward, and how we can do it again.

Visitors hear from real North Carolinians about the challenges that matter most to them, and the steps they have taken to overcome them.

A large interactive map of North Carolina offers rich data displays for each of North Carolina’s 100 counties, showing relationships between issues and among the state’s varied geographies.

Visitors will then gather around digital roundtables to offer their ideas for solving these challenges, improve on the ideas of others, and identify those that should be acted upon.

It isn’t enough just to talk about change – you have do something. The Commons offers users the opportunity to champion causes, join with others, develop a plan, and execute it.

And it is all online, connecting all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, communities and citizens together so the work can continue – all for North Carolina’s future.