About Jefferson County Library
About the library
Five locations, one mission, and a county’s worth of memory in the archive. Here’s who we are and how we got here.
“Jefferson County Library: your place to learn, connect, grow, and achieve.”
The library’s mission statement
Our history
The library district has grown from five appointed trustees and a twenty-cent tax levy into five locations serving all of northern Jefferson County. The record, year by year:
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1981
Chartered by the county
The Jefferson County Commission establishes the library district on November 23, appointing the first Board of Trustees, including High Ridge's Della Lang, whose oral-history interviews are now part of the library's own archive.
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1989
Doors open
The library begins operations after voters in the Northwest and Fox-Windsor sub-districts approve a twenty-cent tax levy to fund library service, the district's only levy increase for nearly three decades.
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1991
Two branches, a bookmobile
The Northwest Branch opens in a storefront at High Ridge Plaza and the Fox-Arnold Branch opens in the lower level of Arnold City Hall, backed by a small bookmobile serving the wider county.
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1998
The first owned building
The newly built Windsor Branch opens on Metropolitan Boulevard in Barnhart, the district's first building of its own, ending its run of rented storefronts and city-hall basements.
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2002
Catalog goes online
The library catalog becomes searchable on the internet for the first time, alongside JCL's own first website.
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2005
Arnold and Northwest rebuilt
A new Arnold Branch opens in May at 1701 Missouri State Road, next to the Arnold Recreation Center, and a new Northwest Branch opens in October at State Road PP and Highway 30 in High Ridge.
The full history, including the library’s move into the Missouri Evergreen consortium and its fine-free and Library of Things programs, is on file with the district; this timeline covers the founding decades.
The people
A library district runs on the people behind the desk. Some of the staff who keep Jefferson County Library open:
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Cindy Hayes
“The thing I love most about my job is talking to people, and especially our patrons - some of whom I have known for the entire time I have worked here.”
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Kate Coleman
Trains library colleagues across Missouri and counts JCL's eMaterials, especially Libby and Hoopla, among her favorite resources.
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Meredith McCarthy
Says no two days are alike, from printing a return mailing label to teaching a tech-skills class.
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Jennifer Mathes
Grew up at the library as a patron and volunteer before joining the Circulation Department full time.
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Adam Tucker
Still serves patrons as a notary and passport acceptance agent alongside running the branch.
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Gary Grzeskowiak
Keeps every branch safe and welcoming for patrons, staff, and community members.
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Lindsay Winkler
Manages how the district puts residents' tax dollars to work across its collections, services, and programs.
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Kent Kamp
Brings a customer-service approach to IT support across the district.
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Aaliyah Kindt
Carries JCL's resources out to outreach events across the county's neighborhoods.
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Jada Griffith-Harbin
Supports the staff across all five locations who keep the library running day to day.
Work with JCL
Openings across the district’s five locations are posted and applications processed through JCL’s employment system, BambooHR.
JCL also welcomes volunteers of any age. Contact your local branch to get started, or read the volunteering policy.
Contact the library about openings
Governance
The library is governed by a five-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Jefferson County Executive with the approval of the Jefferson County Council. Meet the Board and search board minutes.