Fontana Regional Library Inc

“Jackson, macon, and swain counties have equal representation on the governing body, which is composed of three members from each county. Each member is appointed from the membership of each respective local county library advisory board by the local library board of each respective county.”

“The return was prepared by an independent accountant with assistance and oversight by management. Upon completion and review, the return was distributed to each voting board member prior to its submission to the irs.”

“Board members are required to fill out a resopnse to the policy annually. These are reviewed by the regional director and finance officer. If matters come before the board that pose a potential conflict, the conflict will be discussed before any action is taken.”

“An independent human resources contractor was hired to develop a compensation plan for all employees, including the director and other key personnel. The plan was based on similar organizations and local pay rates and was approved by the board of directors. The plan was intended to include an increase in step and a cost of living adjustment raise each year. However, due to current economic conditions, employees including the director and key personnel have not received increases in step levels, nor raises equal to cost of living adjustments.”

“See response to line 15a above.”

“Fontana regional library is a public library, therefore the primary governing documents are state and general statues which are avaliable through the state of north carolina. The state library of north carolina and the local government commission receive copies of the finanical statements annually. Any additional policies are avaliable upon request at the organizations administrative office, which is open to the public during normal business hours. In addition, the public may request access at any local library and copies will be made avaliable.”

“The organization received a grant this tax year to purchase a portable planetarium that will be taken to schools and other similar locations and to in-library programs.”

“Programming events throughout the service area. In the first 4 months of operation, the library has presented 110 shows to over 2,800 participants. Broadband connectivity and internet access are limited in our rural communities. Therefore, the library provides free public internet computers and free wi-fi access to the public in all our buildings. The computers were used nearly 57,000 times and the public used their own wi-fi devices on the library network nearly 86,000 times. The library provides information resources both in the buildings and online to all persons without discrimination. In the past year, the library lent over 350,000 items, including books, music, video, telescopes, backpacks, games, and equipment; or nearly 4 items per every man, woman, and child in the communities. Nearly 40,000 of these were electronic resources available online through the website. There were over 457,300 visits to the library during the year, nearly 63,000 visits to the library website, and the staff answered over 88,300 reference questions for the public. The library provides the community with safe, comfortable places to gather and share information and ideas. The library presented over 2,500 free programs and classes to the public, attended by over 52,000 people; over 78% of this audience was children. This year, library meeting rooms were used for over 6,700 non-library meetings, attended by over 29,500 people. For those who can't come to the library, the library reaches out to them. The library's mobile preschool unit visited 30 day-care centers monthly, providing literacy resources, story-telling, programs, and workshops to area children and their care-givers. The library partnered with over 203 local area groups and agencies, including schools, the department on aging, the health departments, southwestern community college, western carolina university, the southwestern commission, and aarp, to provide service and information to the public. At a time when some people are suggesting that libraries are not needed, our statistics show that usage of library resources is evolving, and the library remains a vital part of the community. The library is the heart of the community, enriching lives and inspiring the future.”