After about 15 years of planning, Bryson City is finally breaking ground on the expansion of the Marianna Black Library.
The expansion, at a cost of over $7 million, will more than double the size of the library to include a teen area, an expanded community room and more. Librarian Jeff Deerfield spoke about how exciting the project is for Swain County.
“When this is complete, this will be an amazing brand new - what will feel like a brand new - building,” said Librarian Jeff Delfield.
The Marianna Black Library was founded by Mariana Black, who first shared books in Bryson City in 1929 in two old suitcases, according to the library website. The first iteration of the library was opened by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1935, and the library became a part of the Fontana Regional Library System in 1944.
Delfield thanked Ellen Snodgrass, chair of the Marianna Black Library Board, who worked on the project for the last decade.
“Without Ellen's daily dedication to this project, we would not all be standing here today,” Delfield said.
Snodgrass thanked community leaders past and present for their support of the project.
“I'm looking out here and I'm just going, ‘So many faces, so many wonderful people who've come out.’ We appreciate y'all,” Snodgrass said to the crowd of about 60 people gathered on the library lawn on Wednesday afternoon.
The current library building was opened in 1970.
Swain County Commissioner Larry Lawson, 32, says he remembers using the library’s internet to do his homework as a teenager since he did not have internet at home.
“[To] see this project take the next step is awesome, and I'm looking forward to how our community can be served in the next 20 to 30 years with our new library,” Lawson, acting chair of the county commission, said.
Community hub provides important services
New meeting rooms are also part of the expansion. These will provide some much-needed privacy for people who take calls for job interviews, telehealth and more. This includes space for NC Works, the state employment office, which operates regularly at the library.
The library is part of the Fontana Regional Library System, which includes Swain, Macon and Jackson counties.
N.C. Sen. Kevin Corbin and N.C. Rep. Mike Clampitt, who represent Swain County, got a $3.2 million grant for the project in 2023. Both were on hand to make remarks.
Corbin says this state funding is important in rural areas.
“When you are able to get that done in a small town like this, it’s going to make a big difference in accessibility and what the library is able to offer, not only for school children but for adults,” Corbin said.
Clampitt, 70, doesn’t have internet at home in Swain County, and explained that he uses the library for internet. Fifty-seven percent of Swain County’s 14,000 population doesn’t have adequate broadband access, according to the 2023 Southwestern Commission’s county profile.
He called the library a “community hub.”
“It is a big deal for Western North Carolina, it's a real big deal for Swain County. Growing up on lower Alarka and going to Almond School and remembering the bookmobile, etc,” Clampitt said. “This is just fantastic for our folks.”
In 1944, the Tennessee Valley Authority sponsored a regional bookmobile that visited Jackson, Macon and Swain counties as part of the library system, with more modern versions of the bookmobile continuing. This is what Clampitt still remembers.
Clampitt is currently battling a rare blood cancer and is planning to run for office again in 2026. During his remarks, he told the crowd not to “let the negative for my health illness deter you” and that “nothing has ceased” at his office while he is in treatment.
Western Field Representative from U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis’ office, Robin Ramsey, was also on hand to see the result of $1 million of congressional spending shepherded by Tillis for the project in 2024. Ramsey says Hurricane Helene highlighted the need for better broadband connection and communication in the mountains.
“There are so many folks that are trying to get over the hills and the mountains and into the valleys with that last mile and broadband, and it's difficult,” Ramsey said.”Helene, it just broke the system, and we are in desperate need of stronger broadband.”
These pieces of federal and state funding, along with local philanthropy such as Dogwood Health Trust, have gotten the project to 90% funded. Part of that effort is Honorary Chairman of the project, Bryson City native and former U.S. Rep. for NC-11, Heath Shuler. He was not present at the event.
Construction is starting next week as the team is still fundraising. To prep for the renovation, The Marianna Black Library, will be closed on Tuesday, Sept. 16 through Thursday, Sept. 18, and will reopen on Friday, Sept.19.
Fontana Regional Library System concerns
While the Marianna Black Library celebrates its expansion, it represents just one of the three counties that are part of the library system. In November 2024, the three local governments and the Fontana Regional Library System Board signed a new regional agreement after over a year of debate.
This summer, Jackson County Commissioners have been considering leaving the library system. They voted to leave in June, but will spend the next year negotiating the process.
Before the vote, commissioners met with the library board, including Fontana Regional Library Board Chair Cynthia Womble. The meeting was tense as Womble explained that commissioners had not sent any questions or concerns about the library during the discussions about the library system.
Womble resigned earlier this week.
“I felt like I'd become a lightning rod for criticism both inside the libraries as well as outside,” Womble said. “The programs and services we offer at our six libraries are essential … I think people don't realize how many people are in the libraries every single day that count on the services.”
She says she has a number of reasons for leaving, including other board members and the recent hiring of a new finance officer who is a personal friend.
Womble said that she recused herself when she found out her friend Lisa Kim Fisher had applied for the position. Fisher was hired to become the system’s new financial officer following the resignation of finance officer Lynn Cody in July.
But perhaps a larger reason for leaving the role was Womble’s convictions.
“The chair, in accordance with Robert's rules, is supposed to be neutral. And I can't be neutral about censorship,” Womble, a Navy veteran, said.
The board has seen a shift in membership this year, but Womble says she wouldn’t describe it as conservative.
“The people who were appointed, they're all taking their responsibility seriously for their communities. They're definitely staying true to their personal beliefs, and in doing so, it does mean that we have differences of opinion on the board,” Womble said. “One thing I'm passionate about is the First Amendment. And the freedom to read, and that our libraries are for everyone in the community, and that we should serve the needs as best we can of our entire community.”
Womble added that there are people who want certain books or resources removed from the library or made harder to access. “And I don't believe in that. I believe we should have everything available,” she said.
She explained that the board’s Vice Chair Tony Monnat also resigned this week. Bill McGaha of Macon County, who was Secretary of the Board, was elected Chair at this week’s board meeting.
Womble will continue to serve on the Marianna Black Library Board in Swain County.
Corbin, represents the eight westernmost counties, has been watching the library debate. BPR asked Corbin what it would mean if Jackson left the system. He said it would make it more difficult to run the library.
“Obviously, it would make it more difficult for them to keep a library,” Corbin said. “[Macon County] participated in the Fountain Regional Library System for decades long time - as long as I can remember - and I think it's always worked very well. I think Macon County has decided to stay in that, and I think Swain also, and I hope Jackson does, too.”
Macon County decided to remain in the library system in 2023.
Jackson County Commissioners have expressed concern about their level of control over the library system's policies, particularly books that have LGBTQ+ storylines or other similar materials.
Corbin said he understands that policy issues happen, but that operating a regional system cuts costs.
“They need to work to try to resolve those issues,” Corbin said. “If the county has concerns, then I think the library system can try to address those and keep that relationship because it takes a lot of money to fund a library to keep a library up to date with the latest technologies and so on and so forth. When you try to do that on your own, that's not only more difficult, it's more expensive.”
Speaking specifically to the issues of LGBTQ+ materials at the library, Corbin says he “hasn’t been privy to all the conversations” but that materials should be “age appropriate.”
“Most people agree that regardless of your sexuality or your view on it, those are very confusing subjects to discuss with the very young children,” Corbin said. “So to me it's about age appropriateness and hopefully the library can work with the county to address those concerns.”
Recent changes to library policy
One of the key changes to the regional agreement last year allows county commissioners to appoint regional library board members who hadn’t previously sat on county-level library boards.
This year, three new board members from Jackson County were appointed by commissioners: Lori Richards, Marva Jennings and Deborah Smith. Here’s the full list of board members.
Addressing questions of children’s access to appropriate materials, the library system also added the option for a juvenile youth card in May for children under 15 years old.
This card is in addition to the library’s safe child policy, which was updated in November 2023 to require that children under 12 be supervised in the library.
The new agreement also set up a regular public comment portion for all Fontana Regional Library Board meetings.
These changes have not been enough for Jackson County Commissioners, who hired a consultant in August to review the agreement, according to the Smoky Mountain News. The cost “will not exceed $50,000, with consultants Jeff Hall and Suzanne White each billing $140 per hour.”
Ramsey, from Tillis’ office, said if the regional system loses one of its three member counties, the community will have to step up for local funding.
“If Jackson County wants to take it on, that's their prerogative,” Ramsey said. “I guess that means that others are going to have to step up in the other two libraries that are in the system to help. Hopefully, the public - the county commissioners or the town council in that area - will step up.”
