The Fontana Regional Library Board of Trustees voted unanimously during an Aug. 7 meeting to hire Jeffery Hall as the system’s interim director.
Hall may be a familiar face to some folks in Western North Carolina. Last year, he and his former business partner, Suzanne White, consulted with Jackson County as it navigated its withdrawal from FRL and considered how to run its own library system. At that time, he also offered to serve as interim director of the Jackson County Public Library.
Hall previously worked more than 30 years in library services, including 12 years as the director of the Rowan Publican Library.
The library system has been without a director since the end of February, when Tracy Fitzmaurice stepped down from the vital post. Board Chair Bill McGaha has filled the vacancy and will continue to do so until Hall begins on Sept. 1. Because of Jackson County’s withdrawal and Macon’s pending exit scheduled for July of next year, the board has had difficulty attracting a candidate for the job. If Macon goes through with its exit, the system will dissolve.