Jackson County’s library task force finally received its revamped needs study May 20, giving the group the information required to move ahead with property acquisition and building design.

Or at least that was the intent. But having been handed a study that does little more than recalculate formulaic space projections based on population counts — counts that were accessed a mere six days before the study was due to be handed over to county officials — library directors are questioning whether the study’s information is accurate.

“When I talked to the consultant he was reluctant to change his figures because he didn’t think the county or the community was willing to do much more,” said Fontana Regional Library System Director Gail Findlay.

Rowan County-based library consultant Phillip Barton, the same consultant used to generate Jackson’s 1999 needs study, was tapped to revisit the study and provide new space projections. The new figures would be used to determine how large a piece of property was needed to house a new library and what design would best allow for additional expansion in the future.

In 1999, Barton called for a 14,900-square-foot facility to carry library operations into 2008, and a 18,500-square-foot facility by 2018. The library currently measures 6,400 square feet.

Barton’s latest projections greatly exceed his 1999 figures, calling for “a library of at least 25,000 to 30,000 square feet for the immediate future with a plan for future expansion,” the study states.

Based on Barton’s calculations, the reason for the dramatic increase in size is primarily population growth, as the library’s collection size actually has decreased since 1999, proposed staff size risen by only four members since 1999, and computer station counts risen from 16 to 24.

According to online state demographic figures cited in Barton’s bibliography — figures which the bibliography indicates Barton accessed only six days before the study was to be presented — currently place Jackson County’s population at 35,263 people, with that number expected to grow to 43,000 by 2020.

However, Jackson County librarian Michael Cartwright pointed out to task force members that neighboring Macon County recently approved a decision to build a new county library located on property near the proposed Southwestern Community College satellite campus. The library is not planned as a joint facility with SCC, rather it will be solely a county library. Atlanta-based project consultant Ron Dubberly of Dubberly Garcia Associates, Inc. called for Macon’s library to total 43,000 square feet in size by 2005, with plans to reach 53,000 square feet by 2015.

Using Barton’s same state demographic source, Macon County currently has a lower population than Jackson — 32,298 compared to 35,263 — and is projected to still total less in 2020 — 41,849 compared to 43,000.

Some officials want to know why Macon is planning a larger library.

“That’s a good question,” Findlay said. “The Macon County library has enjoyed a high level of support both from the community and the Macon government for a very long time, and thus there is a pretty high expectation. The Jackson County library has not had that level of support from the county over the years.”

Jackson’s library has the lowest per capita support in the three-county Fontana Regional system, Findlay said, but current county administration has been working to change that.

“They’ve made great strides in just a very short period of time,” she said.

But the county’s existence as a university community actually has had a negative impact on generating support for a better county library, as some residents feel that having libraries at SCC and Western Carolina University eliminates the need for a strong county library. That point was made by one speaker during the task force meeting May 20.

“I’m a regular user and I don’t understand any of this,” the man said. “It just seems somebody wants to build a building just to have their name put on the building.”

The man, who did not identify himself, recommended removing books from the library collection that were not regularly checked out and keeping the facility as is. He said that as often as he was in the library he never saw all the users the study was talking about, then pointed to librarian Cartwright, saying he could probably back him up on that.

“Actually I’m afraid I can’t back you up at all,” Cartwright said.

Another reason for the large discrepancies in the two study’s projections is the differences in their methodology. Jackson’s original 1999 study was conducted based on figures and formulas relating to libraries in general, with little to no consideration for the community itself.

For example the study states: “The number of square feet needed for collections is based on the amount of linear feet of shelving required to store the collection. It is estimated that one linear foot of shelving is equal to one square foot of need.”

Meanwhile, Macon County’s needs study incorporates community analysis and input to determine specific desires such as having an auditorium, designated tutoring space or a commons area.

Macon County residents determined that they wanted a community commons area for meetings and programs.

“So that takes quite a bit of space,” said Macon County librarian Karen Wallace.

The process also incorproates what’s being done in other parts of the county, projected populations, and allotments for seasonal residents and kinds of use, Dubberly said.

“I think Ron Dubberly’s process turns out a better product,” Findlay said, comparing the process to that used by Barton. “But they couldn’t have done the process in Jackson as they did in Macon given the time frame.”

The planning for the results process used in Macon County was not developed when Barton did his original 1999 study, Findlay said. The Fontana system is waiting to hear about receiving a federal grant which would provide $15,000 to conduct a planning for results study in each of the three Fontana system counties — Jackson, Macon and Swain. Findlay will learn if the system has gotten the grant in mid-June.

For now, though, the Jackson County task force is moving forward, continuing to look at property and discuss possible building designs.

One new piece of property has come onto the table. Locally known as the Hooper property, a 3.53-acre parcel located in a cove adjacent to Centennial Park next to the old county courthouse, has been offered up solely for the purpose of building a library on it. No decisions have been made about purchasing any property.

“I think we’ve done the best we can in Jackson County. It’s just more clunk and cumbersome,” Findlay said.