Our Path Forward And How We Will Continue Supporting Jackson County Libraries

Dear friends and supporters,

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to strengthening public libraries in Jackson County. Libraries exist because of people like you who value access to information, community learning, and the role libraries play in civic life.

Recent developments regarding the county’s decision to leave the Fontana Regional Library system have created difficult questions about how our nonprofit can best serve the community. After extensive discussion, our board concluded that our most fruitful path forward was to shift our attention away from efforts to reverse the county’s decision and toward preparing for what comes next. We are also making progress in our search for our own legal counsel and continue to welcome donations to fund anticipated legal expenses. 

A handful of you have written with questions. We have pursued every constructive avenue for encouraging continued participation in FRL, and it has become clear that the decision is unlikely to change. At the same time, the FRL Board itself is changing. We feel that they are no longer working in the best interest of the libraries or their patrons.

JCPLA is a volunteer-based organization. We have limited time and energy, and we must focus our care where it can make the greatest difference. We are continuing to consider our next steps and what public library support will look like.

Our shift is not an endorsement of the decision to leave FRL, nor is it a dismissal of the concerns many of you have raised. We share those concerns.

Some of you have asked whether we are giving up. We are not. We are choosing a strategy that positions us to support our libraries in a changing environment. Our responsibility is to the people who rely on these spaces for learning, reading, technology access, community programming, inclusion, and personal growth.

When external frameworks shift, groups must decide how best to preserve their core values with the resources they have. That is where we find ourselves. Our mission has not changed. The environment has. We cannot control every decision made at the county or regional level, but we can prepare, plan, and support what comes next. We can work to ensure that Jackson County residents continue to have strong, vibrant libraries regardless of governance structure. And we can continue advocating for the principles that guide us: access, learning, inclusion, and community benefit.

In the weeks ahead, we will continue to share information. We hope you will stay with us in this work. We encourage you to continue to advocate in the ways that matter most to you, because all our efforts are necessary. Our commitment to libraries and to this community remains as strong as ever.

Thank you for standing with us and for everything you do to support public libraries in Jackson County.

With appreciation,

The JCPL Allies