The Friends of the Polk County Public Library (FOPCL) Board announces that it has sponsored a book by Marian Cooper Bryan, PhD, that records all the libraries in Polk County from the visionary proponents of the early Sidney Lanier Library to the dedicated volunteers who made the dream of a modern Polk County Public Library possible.

Many libraries have served the people of Polk County and the book highlights the inspired individuals who worked hard to make books and media services available to the adults and children of Polk County. Why is it so important to have free books, magazines and other printed material available to the public in a democracy? This question is an excellent topic for discussion and reflection.

The book, entitled Libraries of Polk County, N.C.: A History is offered as a public service; it is not a money- making project for either the author or the FOPCL Board.

The book is prepared to inform as well as to celebrate those individuals who have given so much of themselves to provide good literature, sources of information, cultural enrichment and entertainment to the community by developing and supporting libraries in the area.

Copies of the book have been donated to school libraries and public libraries in the community. The book is available for sale in the Polk County Public Library and the Saluda Branch of the PCPL Library, the Polk County Museum, The Book  Shelf and The Village Book Shoppe in Tryon.

– article submitted by Marian Bryan