At their Monday night meeting, the Yancey County Commissioners approved the Withdrawal Agreement, officially beginning the process of separating Yancey County from the AMY Regional Library system. County Manager Lynn Austin reviewed key points of the agreement, addressing several concerns raised by local residents.
Earlier in the evening, around 100 people protested the library’s departure from the regional system on the Burnsville town square.
Austin explained that the regional office on Burnsville School Road, which is owned by Yancey County, will be leased to Mitchell and Avery counties for their regional office for one year free. She also confirmed that Yancey will continue collaborating with those counties on Bookmobile services, paying those counties $7000 per year for partnership.
Yancey County will remain part of the State Cardinal system, which provides access to books not held locally. Austin emphasized that no books will be removed from the Yancey Library and that its current collection and services will remain intact.
The county has already hired three full time librarians, with plans to maintain and expand its programs. Financially, Yancey has over $266,000 in a reserve fund and more than $21,000 in a restricted fund designated for the Everette Kivette Gallery. Despite its long history, Yancey is now considered a “startup” library, making it eligible for specific grant opportunities.
