Overcrowded and out of space: Will York County build new library branches?
Lacey Layne’s family sets an alarm each month reminding them it’s time to sign up for Fort Mill library programs. They can’t afford to put it off for long.
Her 10-year-old son’s autism therapies keep him booked up most afternoons. The library’s Lego and chess clubs offer a rare chance for him to participate in an after-school activity he loves while building his social skills, Layne said.
“He’s not one to do a lot of expressions of feelings,” she said. “But sometimes when I get back early, and I can peek in the door, and I can see he’s interacting with a peer, whether it’s through chess or Legos — I catch the smiles. And I catch those interactions where it looks like he’s actually experiencing joy.”
But whether her son gets to attend is a matter of chance. Fort Mill adopted a lottery system to decide participation. Other branches use a first-come, first-served method, but folks are bound to get cut either way.
Programs fill up quickly at York County libraries. The county hasn’t added a new branch in more than two decades despite exponential growth. Since 1982, York County’s population has increased by about 160%.
A 2024 internal facilities assessment conducted by the library found the county may need to open multiple new branches or significantly expand existing ones in order to properly meet community needs.
The library called for an external assessment to go deeper on the issue and determine how to best spend taxpayer dollars. A group of residents is pushing for county council to include that assessment into next year’s budget and take the first steps towards perhaps, for the first time in years, building more libraries.
A fraction of their suggested sizes
Laura Catto was “taken aback” the first time she stepped foot in a York County library.
Back in Huntersville, North Carolina, her home library was two stories tall with walled-off space designated for kids, teens and adults. There was plenty of meeting space, an outdoor programming area and even play space equipped with toys.
Fort Mill had none of that.
“It feels like a shoe box,” Catto said.
York County has five library branches: Rock Hill, Clover, Fort Mill, Lake Wylie and York. All are dramatically smaller than they ought to be, according to the 2024 facilities assessment.
Rock Hill is one-third of its recommended size based on square-footage-per-resident standards used by the South Carolina State Library.
Clover and York are just over a quarter of their recommended sizes, while Fort Mill and Lake Wylie occupy just 13% of their ideal square footage.
Bethany Fetzer, the youth services manager in Fort Mill, feels the strain every day.
“I have limited table space, so in the afternoons, we really see overcrowding, like, people trying to find places to sit, to do work,” Fetzer said. “And then the noise level is hard because we are literally one big open room.”
Fetzer likes to visit other libraries on her vacations and imagine what could be if only she had the space and the resources: a sound-proofed program room for kids. A meeting room reserved for adults and community events. Designated tutoring and study areas.
Catto would like those things, too.
Last year she launched the group Support York County Libraries to build awareness of what’s lacking and what could be. Their Facebook page boasts more than 500 members.
The group regularly attends county council and library board meetings to request leaders fund a formal needs assessment, which could provide data-backed suggestions for expansion.
Library Director Julie Ward said the needs assessment was in last year’s budget, but it got cut due to a decrease in the property tax rate.
Library programs are plentiful, actually
The library doesn’t track how many programs reach capacity or how many people get turned away. Fetzer, who leads programming for patrons under 18, said she caps waitlists at five people, and it’s not uncommon for those lists to fill up.
Lego and chess clubs serve up to 18 people and usually have kids who don’t make the cut, Fetzer said. Story time for kids under 3 also tends to fill up quickly despite serving 50 people. She estimates the library could offer story times every hour and fill them with kids, but she’s limited by time, staff and space.
“You feel like you’re applying to college sometimes,” said Layne, who traveled to story time at Mecklenburg County libraries when her kids were toddlers. “It’s hard to get into those.”
Still, the breadth of York County Library programming far outpaces similar counties.
The facilities assessment found the library offers more than 4,600 programs across its five branches. More than 94,000 people participated in 2023 — when the data was compiled.
Lexington and Spartanburg counties, which serve comparable populations, have twice as many branches but half as many programs. Berkeley County, which serves tens of thousands fewer people, has one more branch and about one-fifth as many programs.
“We use our money wisely to the fullest extent that we can, and we try to be very conscientious of providing the most bang for your buck,” said Martin House, the assistant library director who put together the assessment.
Western, southern York County libraries
House found a large stretch of the western and southern county don’t have quick access to a public library — a challenge for those who lack reliable transportation. Branches are located in fast-growing areas with the densest populations. But depending on time of day, that could require a half-hour commute or longer for some residents.
To address this issue in part, the county purchased a bookmobile in 2019 to travel to low-income and rural communities. In 2021, the library added an outreach van to visit senior living facilities.
That’s a start, House said, but service gaps remain.
A majority of York County residents don’t have access to broadband internet in their homes, according to House’s assessment.
Library patrons checked out more than 3,700 WiFi hotspots during the 2022-23 fiscal year. During that same time frame, there were more than 35,000 PC reservations and nearly 1.5 million Wi-Fi connections.
“We know that’s an issue, and the libraries are a significant location for people to access the internet,” House said. “If you have some sort of more permanent location in the western part of the county, then that would not just provide books, but also provide computer access.”
York leaders weigh library needs, consider next steps
The first two drafts of the budget didn’t provide for a needs assessment. Council will approve a final budget next month.
Cato, who leads Support York County Libraries, said she’s holding out hope York County Council will make a last-minute addition to the budget and fund a needs assessment for fiscal year 2025-26, which begins July 1.
It would be the first step towards developing a new library or expanding existing ones.
“The county council has been very clear in that they need an actual formal needs assessment to be conducted. With that kind of investment, they want to make a smart decision. They don’t want to put the library in the wrong spot,” Cato said.
During a May 13 budget workshop with York County Council, library board Treasurer Dennis Getter acknowledged a public “roar” for a needs assessment and new facilities.
“I think anybody without even having any discussion would say we need two locations right now,” Getter told the council.
He suggested the county could purchase a second bookmobile to provide more frequent access to rural areas in lieu of building a brick and mortar branch. There are also discussions about building additional branches in Fort Mill and Clover, which are two of the highest-growth areas yet have the smallest libraries.
And perhaps the county could free up space in the Fort Mill library building that’s occupied by economic development and sheriff’s offices, Getter said.
The library board is holding strategic planning meetings to discuss facility recommendations and should reach conclusions in the next three to six months, he said. If its strategic plan determines a needs assessment is necessary, Getter said he would entertain it.
This story was originally published May 27, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
