The Sondley Reference Department

The Reference Department for the entire system is housed in Pack Memorial Library and includes the General Reference area, the North Carolina Collection and Interlibrary Loan.

General Reference with its strong collection of informational books, microfilms, pamphlets, periodicals, and vertical file materials, serves as the information center for Buncombe County Public Libraries.

The NC Collection

The North Carolina Collection at Pack Memorial Library is the best stop for local information on Buncombe County, Western North Carolina, and North Carolina. Historical texts and photographs along with current publications cover the region. Genealogical resources are especially popular and include the complete North Carolina census.
The Thomas Wolfe Collection is a significant part of the North Carolina Collection. It contains books by and about the famous writer, an Asheville native.

Law Library

The Buncombe County Law Library is located on the 10th floor of the Buncombe County Courthouse and is open to the public. Its holdings include the United States Code Annotated, the General Statutes for North Carolina and neighboring states, case law, and law reviews and journals. It is a reference library, so materials do not check out.

Magazines and Newspapers

Magazines and newspapers are favored reading for many patrons. Each library subscribes to general interest publications ranging from fashion to sports to business to travel. Children’s magazines can also be found on the shelves. While most branches keep back issues for a limited time, Pack Memorial Library saves them indefinitely for research use. The majority of old magazines are stored on microfilm or microfiche. We maintain a list including dates for back issues of periodicals at Pack Library.

The Foundation Center Collection for Grantseekers

The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina funds the Foundation Center collection for grantseekers in the Reference Department at Pack Library. The Foundation Center's publications include grantmaker directories, books on fundraising and nonprofit management, and the Foundation Center’s electronic database. The fully searchable database includes detailed profiles of all active United States foundations, as well as an extensive file of recent grants awarded by the nation’s top funders. Online access to North Carolina Giving is also available for use in the Reference Department at Pack Library.

Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan is a service that borrows materials from other libraries not available in the Buncombe County Public Libraries . Each ILL request is $3 and a valid BCPL library card is required. For periodical requests, there are generally extra charges for photocopying. There is a $1 per day charge for overdue items. Books published within the last six months and AV materials can't be requested. Patrons should allow at least 3 weeks for materials to arrive. For libraries who wish to borrow materials: BCPL is a full member of OCLC and follows all the recommended OCLC guidelines. BCPL does not loan reference or AV materials. For more information on this service, please contact library@buncombecounty.org or call (828) 250-4741.