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Fontana Regional Library celebrates its 75th anniversary this summer, honoring the library’s humble beginnings in 1944, when the Tennessee Valley Authority sponsored a regional bookmobile to visit the most remote areas of Jackson, Macon and Swain Counties. 

Seventy-five years on, Fontana Regional Library is proud to fulfill its mission to “provide the public of Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties with excellent service and convenient access to resources for their educational, informational, and recreational needs.”  This means that today, Fontana headquarters and the staff at six member libraries in Franklin, Highlands, Cashiers, Sylva, Bryson City, and Topton coordinate a wide range of services, programs, and activities for residents of all ages.  

To celebrate this 75th birthday, FRL will spend the rest of this year collecting stories from patrons about how and why the library has been important to them and their families. “75 Stories for 75 Years” will capture the best of library history and the stories of library patrons, while inviting donations to the campaign to raise $75,000 for library services by the end of 2019.

So much has changed, and so much has stayed the same over the last 75 years. Books have always been at the heart of the library’s mission, and always will be. But reading now includes eBooks, audiobooks, and eAudiobooks, which are all available at the library or through the library’s website. Music CDs, DVDs, and streaming video are also popular resources. Today, people need more from a library than anyone could have imagined back in 1944. The internet and computers weren’t even on the horizon for the general public 75 years ago, but today, many people rely on Fontana Regional Library for internet access and one-on-one technology help for everything from laptops to smartphones.

Even storytimes for children have evolved in new and exciting ways. Today, youth activities include math, science, and art for ages from toddlers to teens. But the emphasis on reading and learning never changes.
With all the information and technology that is now available, Fontana Regional Library offers services that are constantly evolving to meet the needs of the public. What is your favorite library service or memory from the last 75 years? Tell us at 75Stories@fontanalib.org or fill out a postcard at your local Fontana Regional Library location. For more information about how to become a supporter, go to www.fontanalib.org/75stories.
 

Check out just some of the more than 75 services you can find at your library!

  1. 3D pens
  2. 3D Printing
  3. Art classes
  4. Art displays
  5. Audiobooks
  6. Baby showers
  7. Backpacks for checkout
  8. Birthday parties
  9. Blood drives
  10. Blu-rays
  11. Board games
  12. Book talks and Author meet-and-greets
  13. Books
  14. Braille books
  15. Bridal showers
  16. Comfortable reading spots
  17. Community Music Jams
  18. Concerts / live music performances
  19. Copy machines
  20. Craft classes
  21. Curriculum/classroom/teaching aid kits
  22. Dancing
  23. Databases and journals
  24. Digibooks
  25. Displays
  26. Diversity
  27. Dremel kits
  28. DVDs
  29. eAudio books
  30. eBooks
  31. eMagazines
  32. Embroidery kits
  33. Exam proctoring
  34. Free lunch sites for Summer Lunch Programs
  35. Gardens
  36. Genealogy resources and online genealogy
  37. Green screens
  38. Homework help 
  39. Information literacy
  40. Intellectual stimulation
  41. Internet access
  42. Jigsaw puzzles
  43. Job search assistance
  44. Kind staff members
  45. Knitting kits
  46. Language learning (Mango)
  47. Large Print books
  48. Launchpads & Learning tablets
  49. Magazines
  50. MakerTools
  51. MakerTools book collection
  52. MakerTools programs
  53. Meeting Spaces
  54. Memory Labs / Media conversion stations
  55. Movie showings
  56. Movie streaming
  57. Newspapers and online journals
  58. Notary service
  59. One-on-one technology assistance
  60. Outreach
  61. Parties
  62. Planetarium
  63. Programs for everyone!
  64. Projector screens
  65. Projectors
  66. Public use computers
  67. Public use printers
  68. Reader's advisory / reading suggestions
  69. Reading dogs
  70. Recreation
  71. Research assistance
  72. Safe space
  73. Scanning services
  74. Serger machine
  75. Sewing machines
  76. Smart board
  77. Spanish Language materials
  78. STEM/STEAM programs 
  79. Storytimes
  80. Telescopes for checkout
  81. Theater
  82. Theatre events
  83. Vinyl cutting machines
  84. Weddings
  85. Wifi access