Marianna Black Library is set for a major expansion and renovation thanks to funding from several parties, including a large allotment in the state budget. 

Jackson County will make some adjustments to Macon County’s proposed changes to the Fontana Regional Library interlocal agreement after the board reviewed those changes in December and then directed its attorney to do the same. 

To the Editor:

Libraries are an important part of any community. In addition to books, they provide numerous other resources such as access to computers and Wi-Fi, puzzles, newspapers, and programs for the public.

After Macon County proposed several changes to the Fontana Regional Library system agreement, Jackson County commissioners are taking a look at the recommendations to determine what will work, and what won’t. 

At the June 27 meeting of the Macon County Board of Commissioners, Chairman Bill Dyar was asked by Leah Gaston and the other two new board members for the opportunity to fully introduce themselves. Chairman Dyar agreed. 

To the Editor:

Mr. Dan Kowal’s second letter to the editor  (April 12 edition of The Smoky Mountain News) is a doubling-down on the insults and distortions of his previous letter and requires a response. I’m glad he spoke with the Macon and Jackson librarians, but their account is only one side of the story. Ms. Hardison has only been the Macon librarian for about two months, and she was not involved in this controversy or personally knowledgeable about the vast majority of what occurred. Most of our dealings have been with the previous Macon head librarian and former FRL Director, Karen Wallace, and the newly-appointed director, Tracy Fitzmaurice.

To the Editor: 

The first librarian that I remember was Sadie Luck, a grandmotherly type who dispensed Kleenex and wiped noses in a small room near the Lloyd Hotel in Sylva. I was still in the elementary grades, and I usually entered with several of my peers. Sadie knew us all. 

To the Editor: 

I was wrong in my previous letter (“Use common sense with library controversy,” April 5, SMN). The library has not been stonewalling the concerned citizens. After publication of my previous letter about our library, I spoke with the directors of the Macon and Jackson county libraries. 

To the Editor: 

As a parent, as a teacher of elementary children and as a former member of the Macon County Library Board, I have some thoughts about the library controversy. 

To the Editor: 

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Franklin Roosevelt said this at his inauguration in 1933. Today we have a clear example of this.