COLUMBUS – In 2006, the Polk County Public Library was located where the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles Tag and License building is now on Walker Street. As inventory increased, space for each new book dwindled and books would be stacked up on floors that would not fit on bookcases.

Enter the Friends of the Library, who, with help from Polk’s citizens, raised more than $1.5 million for a new, larger building across from Isothermal Community College’s Polk campus following the approval of Polk County commissioners to match the amount in 2002, according to Mary Jean Fischer, treasurer of the Friends of the Library. 

The current building was erected in October 2006 at 129 W. Mills St. after construction began in March 2005. The Isothermal Community College Polk Campus board had already given 4.48 acres adjacent to their campus for the library to the county in 2001, according to Marian Cooper Bryan in her book, “Libraries of Polk County, NC: A History.” St. Luke’s Hospital and Hospital Director Cameron Highsmith gifted 1.92 acres in the summer of 2002 for the construction of the library.

Fischer said the library would be holding an exclusive party for the original donors of the building this Sunday, of which she said there were 300 original donors, including individuals and corporations. The Friends of the Library supports both the Columbus and Saluda libraries.

“The Friends of the Library is an organization that supports the library. We are the money raiser for the library,” Fischer said. “We hold a book sale twice a year, we have memberships that range from $10 for a single membership and $50 for a family membership. We have done a lot for the library, raising over a million and a half dollars for the new library.” Further information on the fall book sale, including dates and offerings, can be found on page 25.

A year later, the outside reading deck at the library was built. Fischer said it was a part of the original plan for the library building, but the county did not have the money to fulfill this construction.

“Last year, we bought new carts for moving books from one area to the other. We have bought some computers and even the television monitor you see with all the events as you walk in,” Fischer said. “Those are just some of the things that we do. We have a board of 12 and those are probably the most active people. We then draw on volunteers for things like the book sale.”

Fischer said she has been treasurer of the Friends of the Library since 2009. The Friends of the Library gave the Polk County Public Library a check for $6,000 to go towards their library needs this year.

“The need for the Friends of the Library stems from raising money and doing good things for the library,” Fischer said. “The other monies from the library come from county commissioners and that money can be tight. So, if Rishara says, ‘oh, I really need such and such,’ we’ll say let’s look. Last year, we gave the library a check for $6,000 for her needs, which included educational needs for the staff. We don’t buy the new books, that the county does.”

Rishara Finsel is the library director at the Polk County Public Library and has been there for two and a half years. She said the contributions from the Friends of the Library allow her and her staff to go above and beyond with their services.

“We can do all sorts of things from children’s programs to offering the computer lab thanks to them,” Finsel said. “They are the icing on the cake. Libraries are information centers that embrace learning with programs that encourage sharing and connectivity. I see what we do every day, but it’s very inspiring to see what’s been accomplished in the last 10 years.”

Finsel explained that in the last decade, the library has seen 675,000 visitors and had 1.2 million books checked out.

“We’re not a warehouse, we want people to be engaged and to be learning in a ton of different formats,” Finsel said. “We have a five-year plan in place so that we can further explore and know our community so that they can visit a comfortable place.”

Fischer said that since she and her husband retired 15 years ago, they have always been about helping people in the community and giving back. She and her husband have been in the area for 24 years.

“I think I’m of the generation of giving back, of volunteering, and this generation is getting older,” Fischer said. “The library and reading keeps your mind going for education and for pleasure. It’s my way of giving back to the community as a volunteer, and I’ve done a lot of things over the years, but this is the one thing I’ve done the longest.”