Help Save Our Library—Targeted After Surviving Helene

TL;DR:

Yancey County Commissioners voted to leave the regional library system—spending more taxpayer money while cutting services and firing the current staff. The same library that was a lifeline during Hurricane Helene is now being dismantled. We’ve secured a team of attorneys and are pursuing a First Amendment lawsuit to stop this—but we need your help to fund the legal fight. We have until June 30, 2025 to save our library system and protect our staff.

After Helene, We Rebuilt Together. Now They’re Tearing Our Library Apart.

One minute. That’s all it took for the Yancey County Commissioners to vote away nearly 80 years of partnership, equity, and access.

On June 28, 2024, without discussion or public input, the commissioners voted to withdraw from the AMY Regional Library System—ending a collaboration that began in 1948 and formally established in 1961. This regional system made it possible for our rural counties to share resources and offer quality services we couldn’t afford alone.

The decision doesn’t save money—it spends more. The new county-only library system will cost approximately $100,000 more in local taxpayer money than the regional model. And in return, we get fewer services, no access to regional grants, less programming, and a full staff replacement.

Yes, the experienced library staff—who helped Yancey County weather Hurricane Helene—will all lose their jobs on July 1, 2025. Their replacements have no public library experience.

When Helene devastated our region—flooding homes, severing roads, and cutting off communities—the library became an emergency hub. It offered Wi-Fi hotspots to churches and shelters. It hosted FEMA representatives. It helped residents access aid, power their devices, and connect with loved ones. At a time when the rest of the county was struggling, the library delivered.

Now, that very institution is under political attack.

The withdrawal follows a wave of controversy targeting LGBTQ+ content, including a complaint about a long-running Pride display. In good faith, the library compromised—agreeing that all future displays would be located upstairs in the adult fiction section and limited to books only, with no additional signage or decorations. But even that wasn’t enough. (See photo gallery for the 2023 and 2024 displays.)

Since 2023, the commissioners have appointed advisory board members who’ve promoted censorship and attacked both the library director and marginalized residents. The same library director that received the 2024 NC Librarian of the Year award.

This is not just about books. This is about viewpoint discrimination, government overreach, and silencing voices.

That’s why we’ve secured a legal team and will be pursuing a lawsuit to stop this reckless and discriminatory decision. We have a team of at least four attorneys working to prepare filings and seek an injunction—but it’s a costly and urgent effort.

We’re up against a hard deadline: June 30, 2025. If we can stop the commissioners before then, we can preserve the regional system, protect our staff, and restore public trust.

Please donate today to help cover legal fees, court costs, and outreach efforts. Every dollar helps us fight for transparency, inclusion, and the right to a library that serves all people.

This case could also set a nationwide precedent. Other counties across North Carolina and the United States are watching—and some are already trying to do the same: breaking public partnerships in the name of political control and censorship. If we win here, we show that communities can fight back—and win.