Marianna Black Library celebrates expansion after more than a decade of false starts

Marianna Black Library in Bryson City was an outdated facility by 2010, so staff commissioned a feasibility study. On Sept. 10, the library held a groundbreaking for its $7.1 million expansion and renovation, 15 years down the line.  

According to Ellen Snodgrass, chair of the Marianna Black Library Board of Trustees, the library has fundraised just under 90% of the $7.1 million needed for the project. The remainder will likely come through public fundraising from small individual donors.  

Those at the event last Wednesday exuded pride as they celebrated a project that weathered several false starts throughout its planning stages but has ultimately succeeded.  

County Librarian Jeff Delfield said that after the 2010 feasibility study, “we were going to have a brand-new building, and then that kind of fell through.”  

The staff found another space but met the same outcome. They didn’t start applying for grants until 2022 after county commissioners appropriated $500,000 to the project. Even then, there were a couple of economic hiccups. 

“The bid came in a little too high, so we had to figure it out,” Delfield said.  

The library held a groundbreaking in 2023 — and another groundbreaking in 2024.  

“If you had asked me a month ago, ‘When is the groundbreaking?’ I jokingly would say, ‘March of 2023,’” he said with a chuckle.  

Delfield explained that the main goal of expanding the library was to provide a longer list of services. The renovation will add a teen area, small meeting rooms, co-working spaces, an Appalachian studies room and a community room. The library will also have an expanded children’s area.  

“We have people who are doing job interviews here online. We have NC Works here … tax people, healthcare people, Big Brothers Big Sisters, tutoring. We have no [private] place to do that,” Snodgrass said.  

When asked about how the library might support folks looking to enroll in different social services, Snodgrass said while the library can’t afford to add more staff, having privacy to fill out forms will be helpful.  

“We do work with the health department. We’re going to have a blood pressure station in here,” she said.  

Delfield told The Smoky Mountain News that the expansion is expected to take 14 months, “but I’m saying 16 months.”  

State and local officials praised the community for its support and library staff for providing a thorough construction plan. Together, Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon) and Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain) secured $3.2 million for the expansion. U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis secured $1 million in federal funding.  

Corbin said if the same thing were to happen in Mecklenburg County, “no one would notice … But when you do that in Swain County … it’s a big deal because it really adds to the community.”  

While libraries have become the focus of culture war debates — especially throughout the Fontana Regional Library system — enthusiasm for the expansion was unanimous among the crowd of attendees.  

Clampitt said Robin Ramsey, regional representative for Tillis, had told him “‘the public library is more than a library. It’s a community hub.’ And I could not agree more.”  

When asked if he had any final comments, Delfield said, “It’s been a long time coming, and I’m so happy … I’ve been working on this project for — no exaggeration — 15 years.”