Library and information science professionals who seek to effectively serve the diverse populations in and around their communities must be aware of the specific impact that cultural environment factors and populations present in their local community and information agency. Although applicable to similar environments and populations, in this project, the researcher magnified the diverse populations residing in rural, Southeastern Appalachia during the natural disaster, Hurricane Helene, in Polk County, North Carolina and the Polk County Public Libraries as the information agency. In the context below, the researcher considered the environment and setting, community profile, the agency's system and user-centric profiles, and summarized the agency's mission, goals, and objectives.
2.1. Environment and Setting
The community magnified in this project is located in the beautiful foothills of Western North Carolina. The specific aspects of diversity and inclusion focused on by the researcher are broadly identified as diversity brought about by geographic location. Specifically, this includes populations of individuals residing in rural, Southeastern Appalachia. In the final weeks of September of 2024, Polk and surrounding counties were impacted by the weather from Hurricane Helene. This hurricane was listed as a category 4 storm that initially made landfall in Florida and traveled inland, also leaving destruction in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. According to the National Weather Service website, "Helene's largest impacts were across the southern Appalachians where widespread severe and unprecedented flooding occurred with hundreds of fatalities and billions in property damage. Strong wind gusts damaged property and blew trees and power lines down in a swath from the Gulf Coast to the North Carolina mountains" (2024).
Strengths: small community, rural location, access to local parks and hiking trails, the quick response time and action taken by neighbors helping neighbors, the willingness to connect and make sure people that they knew were safe, small town pride, and the genuine care for others
Weaknesses: rural location, distance for residents to drive around town and to the library, physical damages from Hurricane Helene (roads washed away, debris, down powerlines, etc.), connectivity / overall ability to get reliable information out, everbridge alert system going out, overall slow reaction time from the county / city decision makers, poor judgment calls on local cancellations due to the weather,
Opportunities: the library being used as an information agency outside of the library walls, additional preparedness and ongoing conversations to put inevitable natural disaster and crisis situations on the forefront of local department and officials minds, reflecting on the positive and negatives of Polk County's reaction to Hurricane Helene, and opening the conversation to learn from other rural counties affected by the storm
Threats: disorganization during times of crisis, misinformation spreading, and overall delayed reaction time
According to the North Carolina Department of Insurance, "Hurricane Helene devastated much of western NC, other parts of NC and neighboring states of Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia. South Carolina and Florida. The mountains were hit hardest, with severe flooding and landslides, leaving many communities in ruin" (Hurricane Helene Response and Recovery). In this project, the researcher aims to address the analysis by reflecting on the days during and after Hurricane Helene, in order to develop a strategic action plan that will prepare the Polk County Public Libraries, as well as other public libraries, to be prepared for future times of crisis. Below are a few photos taken of some of the damage in Polk County, shortly after the storm.
The North Pacolet river near Harmon Field in Tryon, North Carolina breeched its banks on Friday, September 27, 2024 (Allison, 2024).
Green River Cove Road, along the Green River was destroyed by historic flooding in the wake of Hurricane Helene on Monday, October 7, 2024 near Saluda, NC (Wagner, 2024).
2.2. Community Profile
In order to thoroughly identify the diverse makeup of a community, one must first consider the definition of "diversity" and relate the expansiveness of the definition to the community being researched. The Oxford English Dictionary defines "diversity" as "the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc." (Diversity). Opperating under this definition, the research recognized the diversity within the definition and conclude and experiences of living in rural America, in addition to other factors commonly associated with the term. The community of focus for the researcher's project is seated comfortably in Southeastern, rural, Appalachia. Amongst other things, the community profile of this area consists of diversity clearly reflected in its rural geographic location, lower socioeconomic reportings, and large population of maturing adults and senior citizens.
Polk County, North Carolina is a rural community comprising three cities - Columbus, Tryon, and Saluda. It is located in the foothills, just below the first peak of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In a day's drive, it neighbors larger cities like Asheville, NC and Greenville and Spartanburg in South Carolina. While not separated officially, many locals recognize Columbus and Tryon as one community and Saluda as another. This is identified due to the requirement of traveling "up the mountain" to get to Saluda. Polk County is home to approximately 19,328 individuals. Of this number, the majority identify as white with others including 81 as American Indian, 60 as Asian, 698 as Black or African American, 1,026 as Hispanic or Latino, and 14 as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Of the total residents, a notably 49% percent of individuals reported being aged fifty-five and over - falling into the age category of maturing adults and senior citizens. While officially not documented through statistics, the researcher is aware of a very small LGBTQIA+ population in the county as well. There is also a significant 13.7% of the residents who have household incomes that fall at or below the national poverty line. Well incorporated in the Southern "Bible Belt," the county is overall considered very religious and conservative. There is a significant, active home-school population offered in addition to one community college branch location, one early college, one high school, one middle school, and four elementary schools across the county. Statistical data describing the community profile of Polk County was gathered using current US Census data.
Outside of statistical data, the researcher acknowledges that diversity may also be seen in the population's educational backgrounds, opportunities, and in the digital divide.
2.3. Agency “System-Centric” + “User-Centric” Profiles
As an information agency, the Polk County Public Libraries relies on stakeholders that are system-centric and separate sets that are user-centric. In the following paragraphs, the researcher identifies each group within these profiles and describes how they interact and contribute to the overall benefit and function of the library system. In these groups diversity is represented through the contributions of the populations described. Examples of diversity recognized in the system and user centric profiles include race, gender, position within the community, socioeconomic standing, personal experiences and background, employment, and location within Polk County.
System-Centric Profile
System-centric groups that broadly serve the community include individuals within library management, library staff, library board of trustees, county and organization leaders, the local school system, and senior centers. Library management and staff are arguably the biggest system-centric group of stakeholders, because they work in the information agency and are passionate about serving their community. At the Polk County Public Libraries management staff includes 4 managers and the library director. Library staff includes a total of 16 individuals. The PCPL Board of Trustees is made up of 9 individuals who serve for three, year-long terms. Together, they work alongside the library director and county commissioners to approve decisions relating to the library's operations, policy, and budget.
County and organization leaders are another stakeholder group. This group has the ability to make decisions for the county - including, but not limited to decisions that effect the library directly or decisions to redirect/reassign, or work alongside the library. It includes individuals like county department heads, county and city managers, board of commissioners, and leadership within the local school system and senior centers. It is this group of stakeholders that will be vital in the success of the researcher's project. Communication between this group of stakeholders and the Polk County Public Libraries will be necessary in order to uniquely and effectively serve the community of Polk County, North Carolina during times of crisis.
User-Centric Profile
Stakeholders served by the Polk County Public Libraries are made up of two groups of people - frequent library users and library patrons, and infrequent users and non-patrons. For the purposes of this project, the researcher would like to note the difference in these individuals. Library users and patrons are characterized by the fact that they interact with the Columbus or Saluda Library physical locations or online through the library's digital collection, website, and social media pages. In short, this group of users are aware of the resources offered by the library and interact with it in some capacity regularly. Infrequent or non-patrons are characterized by the fact that they either rarely or do not interact with the Polk County Public Libraries. Given the rural landscape of Polk County, it is also important to consider the barriers that these groups of stakeholders face in terms of overall connectivity due to scarce internet and cell phone reception or the affordability of these connections, as well as the barrier of distance in traveling from one area to another across the county. For many, the Polk County Public Libraries are inaccessible outside of the "special" occasions of an outing specifically visit the library. Both of stakeholder groups described were served by the library during Hurricane Helene.
Columbus Library, the main library location of the Polk County Public Libraries (Polk County Public Library).
In 1931, Indian librarian and mathematician, S.R. Ranganathan, identified five laws that he believed were necessary in the field of library science. These five laws included things like: books are for use, every reader his or her book, every book its reader, save the time of the reader, and the library is a growing organism (Barner, 2011). The American Library Association emphasizes Ranganathan's fifth proposed law, the library is a growing organism, in their advice that every library should have an identified, written, comprehensive policies that guide the library's practices regarding selecting and deselecting materials and the reconsideration of library resources. "Additionally, the mission statement may be expanded to include a vision statement that clearly identifies what the library would be if the mission statement was achieved and a list of values, commitments, or goals that would help the library achieve its mission statement. At the minimum, a mission statement is needed to provide guidance for all efforts of the library" (The Library Mission).
The Polk County Public Libraries aspires to a vision of creating connections and igniting imaginations. Their mission commits them to enriching lives, encouraging ideas, and celebrating community. The library system's core values include being respectful, curious, adaptable, enthusiastic, and equitable. They strive to be considerate and treat everyone with dignity, explore and encourage learning in all forms, support each other as library and community needs change, bring energy and passion into all that they do, and serve their community with open and equal access. Additional information regarding the Polk County Public Libraries vision, mission, and core values are shared openly on the PCPL website. While the term "diversity" is not explicitly included in the statements created by the Polk County Public Libraries, it is clear that they aim to be equitable, support, and adapt to meet the needs of the community in which they serve.
Their current strategic plan is also readily available here. The plan was implemented in July of 2021 and remains active through June 2026. In a year-long study, a collection of members of Polk County leadership, library staff, community members, and library patrons were surveyed and the responses served to reveal four high priority goals for the strategic plan. These goals included:
* Empowering Technology - Provide a robust infrastructure and innovative technologies that meet the needs of the community.
* Enriching User Experiences - Instill a love of learning through multifaceted collections and innovative activities. PCPL encourages the sharing of broad ideas and experiences.
* Vibrant, Welcoming, and Versatile Library Spaces - Create invigorating spaces that engage visitors and build community within their libraries.
* Equitable Services - Increase services and expand access to all users, especially beyond the walls of the library buildings.
Reflecting on each of the goals identified in the Polk County Public Library's Strategic Plan, mission, and vision statement, the researcher recognizes the definitive responsibility and necessity of this information agency to step up into action during times of natural disaster and crisis.
References:
Allison, J. (2024, September 29). Community Picking Up Pieces in Aftermath of Helene. The Tryon Daily Bulletin. https://www.tryondailybulletin.com/2024/09/28/community-reeling-in-aftermath-of-helene/
Barner, K. (2011). The Library is a Growing Organism: Ranganathan’s Fifth Law of Library Science and the Academic Library in the Digital Era. Library Philosophy and Practice. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1579&context=libphilprac
Diversity - definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes . Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary . (n.d.). https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/diversity
Google Maps. (n.d.). [Map of Polk County, North Carolina}. Retrieved January 19, 2025, from https://maps.app.goo.gl/KZph2F1mLjXwLLXG9
NC DOI. (n.d.-a). Hurricane Helene Response and Recovery. https://www.ncdoi.gov/hurricane-helene-response-and-recovery
NOAA’s National Weather Service. (2024, October 18). Tropical Storm Helene: September 26-27, 2024. National Weather Service. https://www.weather.gov/ilm/Helene2024#:~:text=Overview,to%20the%20North%20Carolina%20mountains
The Library Mission. American Library Association. (n.d.-b). https://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/selectionpolicytoolkit/mission
Polk County Public Library. (n.d.). Adwarchitects. photograph. Retrieved February 4, 2025, from https://www.adwarchitects.com/civic-polk-county-public-library.
United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). Polk County, North Carolina. https://data.census.gov/profile/Polk_County,_North_Carolina?g=050XX00US37149
Wagner, A. (2024, October 14). Helene Destroyed Dozens of Homes in Polk County Near Saluda NC | Raleigh News & Observer. The News & Observer. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article293655019.html