As in-person visits lag since COVID, Buncombe libraries look to community outreach

ASHEVILLE - Though in-person visits are still down from the start of the pandemic, Buncombe County Public Libraries' incoming director wants to focus on meeting residents' needs in nontraditional ways.

In December 2019, around 67,000 people visited the county's 13 libraries; in December 2022, visitors had dropped to just over 50,000. However, total collection utilization, which includes online check-outs of books and other resources, has risen from near 1.8 million across fiscal year 2019 to above 2 million in fiscal year 2022.

Jason Hyatt, who starts as the library system director on Jan. 30, said that a good way to get people back into physical libraries could be to use libraries as a community space instead of one solely focused on reading.

"Both having a space where people can meet, feel safe and come in and be welcome, but also offering a really innovative and engaging slate of public programs, those are the things that are continuing to bring people into libraries," Hyatt told the Citizen Times Jan. 26. "I think that the library's most important role is just to be present and offer access, and so whatever the access needs look like for the community in the future, we'll continue to evolve."

Smaller county library branches have actually returned to pre-pandemic numbers, according to county spokesperson Kassi Day; it is the larger-volume branches, including Pack Memorial Library in downtown Asheville, that have yet to return to pre-pandemic numbers.

City Surveillance:Buncombe County Sheriff has 1,800-camera network; Asheville PD now gets to use it

Development News:Developer halts 'massive' downtown Asheville apartment construction project after 4 years

Despite the rise of online use and a shift away from focusing just on books, Hyatt emphasized that he does not believe that print is dying. Online and physical library use often go hand-in-hand, he said, and digital options may open doors to fulfilling in-person needs. In his previous positions in Charlotte and York County, South Carolina, a large part of the library outreach he took part in was centered around helping people become comfortable with their technology.

"People want to borrow e-books, listen to downloadable audio streaming, so many different formats, and it just makes it possible to carry the entire library with you in your pocket, but that's not any good if you don't know how to use the device that you have in your pocket," he said.

West Asheville Public Library Branch Manager Sherry Roane echoed many of Hyatt's sentiments, both of about a library's role as a community center and about print being alive and well. Libraries are one of the few public places that do not expect those visiting to spend money, she said, which makes them useful for adults and children alike.

"Books will be an important element forever in libraries, at least I hope so, but I think libraries will branch out in all different directions like they are now," Roane said.

Black Mountain Library was recently in the county's media team spotlight for creating the type of community center Hyatt talked about. A Jan. 20 news release calls the library "one of Black Mountain’s backbones," and boasts its free seed library, art library, cooking classes, open mic poetry and other offerings.

"I love giving out new library cards and watching peoples’ mouths literally drop open when I describe all the resources that are available to them through the library," Librarian Abigail Clarkson said in the release.

Current library offerings

Ahead of Hyatt's arrival, the county's library system has a number of programs that go beyond what a library traditionally does. In addition to things like book clubs, libraries across the county offer concerts, presentations from authors, tax help, Lego and gaming activities for kids and teenagers, exercise classes and knitting clubs, just to name a few.

In addition to the traditional offerings of books, music, and movies, county libraries are now offering things like Wi-Fi hotspots, which allows the free use of wireless internet anywhere there is cellular reception. On-site, libraries also offer desktop computers for those without personal computers and Wi-Fi for those who do.

Though not exactly an in-person offering, the library system has also teamed up with a number of local attractions and museums to offer free admission to library card holders. Partners include Asheville Art Museum, Asheville Community Theatre, WNC Nature Center and North Carolina Arboretum, among others, which can each be visited for free once per 30 days.

Past Reporting:Asheville summer fun for $0? Here are 20 free/low-cost events and activities for locals

Answer Woman:Chick-fil-A still coming to Brevard Road?

Hyatt's background

With almost 20 years of public library experience, Hyatt comes to Buncombe County after serving as York County, South Carolina's executive director for six years.

"I have always loved the Asheville area and Buncombe County and the surrounding communities, and I've enjoyed my time that I've had here in York County, but the opportunity to come to Buncombe, to move to a larger system and also to get back into North Carolina — its my home state — it was ... too good of an opportunity for me to ignore," he said.

Hyatt earned his master of library and information studies from UNC Greensboro and a master of public administration from UNC Chapel Hill. Before York County, he worked in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg library system, where he said his focus on outreach began.

A December news release announcing Hyatt as the new director noted that he and the county share a strategic vision, which he told the Citizen Times was that libraries should be available to all people, regardless of background or circumstance.

"To me, it was very easy to mesh my idea of what works for public libraries with Buncombe County government's idea of how to service its community and its constituents," he said.

Hyatt said getting out to each location to meet staff and see the spaces is going to be an important first step for him.

"Its a big jump from five in York to the number that are in Buncombe County, so I put that on my shoulders as an issue," he said. "I do believe that the library staff are the most important resource, and they are always things that can help them do their job better, ways that they can be better supported."

Airport Expansion:After record year, Asheville Airport breaks ground on $55M air traffic control tower

Food News:2023 James Beard Award semifinalists: Asheville chef, restaurant on the list

Long-term, Hyatt said he hopes to revitalize many of the county libraries. Though Day said no new libraries are planned at this time, Hyatt said that even without new libraries, renovations can help make old spaces more functional for the future of library use.

"There's a lot of flexibility in the modern library environment, and library facilities that were built several decades ago don't necessarily have that flexibility baked into them," he said. "I think there's some really creative, innovative ways that we can revive spaces without necessarily building new libraries right away."

Christian Smith is the general assignment reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Questions or comments? Contact him at RCSmith@gannett.com or 828-274-2222.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe County Libraries will look to outreach to increase visits