Jackson County Commissioners recently discussed leaving the Fontana Regional Library System, citing issues with “left-leaning content” as well as what they call general mismanagement.
The talk comes on the heels of a recently updated regional library agreement, which helped launch a new children’s card that enables full parental control over which titles their child or teen can check out.
Commissioner John Smith at a meeting on Tuesday said he continues to receive community complaints about displays in the local library. In the past, complaints have centered on LGBTQ Pride displays, but Smith said the issue extends beyond that.
“They're promoting the same ideology that most people in this county reject,” Smith said. Smith mentioned a previous discussion about the library offering free over the counter prescriptions along with food and other supplies to those in need.
Discussions about the library system, which includes six libraries in Macon, Jackson and Swain Counties have been fierce since 2022. Macon County ultimately decided to stay in the system in 2023 and worked through a new regional agreement with all three counties, which was signed in November.
Smith, along with Commissioners Michael Jennings and Jenny Hooper, expressed that they were unhappy with the direction of the library despite the 2024 changes to the Fontana Regional Agreement.
“Could we tell them something needs to change or else we're getting out. I mean, is that something we could do?” Jennings asked.
Hooper said “the whole library's being misrun, mishandled.” She mentioned a recent incident with an air soft gun, alleged hair dying in the sinks and homeless people in the library as current issues.
“It's very left wing, and it needs to go,” Hooper said. “We don't want to see it. We don't want to, our kids don't want it. The community don't. The majority of the people in Jackson County do not want to see that crap in there.”
Commissioner Todd Bryson said his stance is for neutrality.
“All I'm going to say on the subject is that county dollars should not promote anything. They should be 100% neutral,” Bryson said.
“You ought to be able to go in the library and not have to be appalled by anything that's there. No matter which side you're on,” Jennings added.
Hooper asked if they could change the leadership at the library or what options, legally, exist to leave the library system. County Manager Kevin King is expected to present the options for how the county would be able to leave the library system at the next meeting. King last week summarized three options: influencing library operations via board appointments or financial appropriations and leaving through the FRL agreement.
“The fourth option is to close to the library,” Hooper said.
The new regional agreement outlines that any of the three counties can leave the library system if commissioners vote by July 1. Then it will take a year for the removal to take place.
Chair Mark Letson also mentioned that the Jackson County Library's lease on the old courthouse building expires at the end of 2026.
“We can make those lease changes if we need to at the end of their lease,” he said.
Breaking apart the Fontana Regional Library System
The new agreement changed some of the principles of ownership when a county leaves the library system. The Fontana Regional Library system will retain the regional materials and the county will retain materials that have been directly purchased by the Friends of the Library as well as the building in some cases.
If two out of the three counties leave the library system, then the Fontana Regional Library System will be dissolved. Then jointly-owned properties and resources will be distributed by a committee of representatives from each county, a representative from the State Library of North Carolina and the current FRL director.
The agreement lasts for 10 years but it can be updated at any time at the request of one of the member counties. If there are no amendments, the agreement automatically renews at the 10 year mark. The 2024 updated agreement states that the regional agreement should be reviewed at least once every 10 years.
The Fontana Regional Library Director previously presented Jackson County Commissioners with a report in April, Smoky Mountain News reported.
Children’s library card added for community
When Macon County Commissioners weighed leaving the library system in 2023, they said better protections were needed for minors at the library.
Since then, the children’s policy at the library has been updated, and a new library card for children has been implemented.
On May 1, Fontana Regional Library introduced a new limited library card for children under 15 years old. Parents can opt for the card so that children will only be allowed to check out items from the children’s section.
Regional Director Tracy Fitzmaurice said the card is an option to help parents feel more secure about their children’s access to materials in the library.
“It's sort of the best of both worlds," Fitzmaurice said. “It's a way of giving options to parents to give them the opportunity to make decisions for their child and that's the best way we can figure out to safeguard the children that parents feel they need more safeguards.”
Parents can also opt to sign their children up for the full access card. The limited card does not allow young adult books to be checked out. These books are usually considered to be for readers 13 and up.
The limited card doesn’t look different from any other library card but when children check out materials that are not from the children’s section a warning will pop up on the librarian’s computer to not allow the child to check out that materials.
“It's been in the works for just over a year and a half. It took a lot of research,” Fitzmaurice said. “We had to work with the state library to make sure we could code our cards to do what we were asking them to do.”
This card is in addition to the library’s safe child policy which was updated in November 2023 to require children under 12 are supervised in the library.
A parent or a legal guardian has to sign for anyone under the age of 15 to get a library card. There is also a teen card for 16 and 17 year olds that have their own driver's license. Parents are responsible for children under 18 at the library.
Fontana Regional Library has 90,403 card holders. One limited card has been requested, Fitzmaurice shared this week. That’s about 92% of the population of the three counties based on 2024 census data.
Some community members support FRL
Community members from Macon, Swain and Jackson Counties have called meetings to address the potential splitting of the library system.
A petition made by “JCPL Supporters” to save the library system was created on Sunday. The petition already has almost 2,000 signatures, with the majority of signers from ZIP codes in Macon and Jackson counties.
A survey is also circulating for Jackson County residents to share their opinions about the library.
This week, supporters of the library created a Save the Fontana Regional Library System website. The website highlights the conversation about the FRL since 2021 as well as upcoming local government and FRL board meetings.
Petition starters said they are concerned about recent leaked email about the library’s potential exit from the system.
The group will be hosting a protest in Sylva on Saturday May 17.
