<< Back 11/19/03 Contemplating what’s already done By Gary Carden Since last May when a large group of Jackson County residents spoke in opposition to the proposal to move the Jackson County library to the SCC campus, a peculiar atmosphere has surrounded this controversy. Despite the fact that the Jackson County commissioners received a petition containing 2,700 signatures, and in the face of some impressive public objections by local residents, the commissioners have remained committed to their original proposal — the construction of a new, “shared” library facility at SCC. In this interim, the only concession made by the commissioners has been the establishment of a “Library Task Force” which would conduct a feasibility study (at the cost of $50,000) to determine if the proposed site “is suitable.” As near as I can tell, this task force has a peculiar mission. Apparently, its purpose is to justify what the commissioners have already decided to do. (A good analogy would be the designing of a blueprint for a building after it has been constructed.) This week, with much fanfare, the task force has released a public opinion poll — a copy appeared in The Smoky Mountain News and The Sylva Herald — and the task force requests that local residents complete some 11 questions, which will “help in the decision-making process.” Apparently, the “Library Task Force” was created solely to provide a justification for the shared library facility at SCC. There are no questions in the poll that allow the citizens to address specific issues regarding alternate locations for a new library, nor are there any opportunities to address aspects of the current downtown facility. In fact, none of the questions deal with such issues as central location and accessibility for pedestrian traffic. During the past six months, the atmosphere of our downtown library has changed. Several long-time employees have resigned. Many regular patrons have noticed a loss of warmth and congeniality. I have also learned that the staff has been encouraged to be more “professional.” Patrons can no longer bring animals (small dogs and kittens) into the library, and staff members have been instructed to clear their “work space” of personal items. Gradually, the Jackson County Library is becoming as brisk and business-like as the post office. For a long-time patron like me (although I’m not as frequent as I used to be), the atmosphere now smacks of unease — a feeling of walking through a space charged with uncertainty and discontent. Much of that is due to an absence of direction and/or leadership, and my once-beloved library is becoming like one of those movies in which the passengers and crew of a plane discover that there is no navigator. All of this bodes well for the advocates of the “shared facility” at SCC of course. It will doubtless be filled with space, light and good will. It may be that with persistence, the downtown library can be converted into a dark and dismal hovel filled with listless gnomes. In my opinion, it is like the old WWII war strategy of the “fifth column,” which operates by destroying from within. It is a war that is won by attrition — the gradual erosion of a wonderful place by apathy and a lack of purpose. In my opinion, we are losing our downtown library in Sylva not because it is obsolete or inadequate to the community’s needs but because we have been betrayed. The commissioners are adamant in their belief that they “know what is best for us,” and have left us out of the decision-making process. Fontana Regional Library and its Jackson County affiliate have yielded to SCC funds and the promise of subsequent awards. This powerful little tribunal will have its way by hook or crook. I would like to think there is still hope. Although public opinion seems incapable of handling more than one injustice at a time (the Southern Loop controversy has overshadowed all else lately), I would like to believe that we can still stop this slick, arrogant scheme. We can begin by seeing this “public opinion poll” for what it is — an endorsement for the shared facility at SCC. We should fill out their poll. However, I feel that we should amend it with a set of questions of our own. For example, would you prefer that the library remain in its present location? Do you feel that methods should be explored that would expand the library in its present location, or in another appropriate downtown location? And one final amendment: Is it possible that the Jackson County Public Library needs new leadership? Think about it. (Gary Carden is a writer and teacher who lives in Sylva. He can be reached at gcarden498@aol.com.)