By Laurie Carnahan, director | Jamaica Public Library
This was a fun and energetic year at the library, as our local donors and volunteers, with their steely determination and cheery efforts, breathed fresh air into the 1970s environment by cleaning, painting and rearranging the main floor. The difference made visitors pause at the door and wonder where they were. Jeff Grow Repair brightened the space by replacing our lifeless fluorescents with daylight LEDs, along with other electrical.
The McCleary family donation of bookshelves and globes, along with a lighted window display case, added more bling to JPL. Displayed monthly were collections from artist Kelsey Laabs, Diane Mienecke, Barbara Rhoads Miller, Erika Russell, Janice Harbaugh and visiting Iowa authors. Mary Tighe contributed her talents to artistic window displays.
The newly formed Friends of the Jamaica Public Library stepped up to the plate with a successful membership drive and a generous $14,000 donation from 10-Square Women. The Friends of the Library contributed to Halloween and Tree Lighting events, bought books, an “Awe” children’s computer, new vacuum and dust buster, and supported the Summer Reading with snacks/prizes, along with Fonziba Drums program.
Jamaica native Darrell Netherton donated a guest laptop, a desktop PC and two children’s tablets, along with maintenance/update of the computers. He also donated artwork, Iowa magazine, many coffee table books, Iowa historical books, and local recipe books and continues to send items of interest from his collections and travels.
The library’s book collection was also increased by a contribution of large print books withdrawn from large libraries in the state, along with Spanish-print fiction. A grant with Communities for Children increased our bilingual children’s books, provided coding toys, a vinyl green lounging bench, Summer Reading Twin Shoppes ice cream prizes, and snacks and pizza for children’s events all year. Fun programs for all ages were presented by Art on the Island with Erika Russell and Shelby Van Horn, county director for County Extension and Outreach.
Guthrie County Quality Meats (Grant Sheeder) held a brat drive to support county libraries, and our library board opted to have the donation in an equal value of meat supply to our shared community fridge. This gift was greatly appreciated as share providers were increasingly pressured. Despite the demands, food rescue deliveries from Supply Hive (thesupplyhivedsm.org) continued to supply our tiny community on a biweekly basis throughout 2025.
Schafer Roofing came to the rescue of the library when the roof began to leak over the irreplaceable Guthrie County Genealogy collection. A new roof on the first-floor section sealed out the rain and kept our weekly community chats with Guthrie County Genealogy dry and comfortable and, more importantly, kept the genealogy collection secure. These weekly community chats/genealogy workdays are open to the public on Thursdays 2-4 p.m.
Fall brought us the first annual Iowa Authors on the Island featuring readings and book signings with authors from local publishers Feigned Shadows and Raspberry Ridge and authors Zaven Boswell, Janice Harbaugh, Judy Lindgren Johnson, Pamela Fritz Davis, Robert Hurley, Dar Kuehl, Mary Weaver, Susan Smith and Stuart Martin.
The community fun continued with Almost Scary Pizza Party with pumpkin Art on the Island, along with Spooky City in the Community Center. December kicked off with the Second Annual Jamaica Tree Lighting event with an open community center full of snacks and ornament crafts from Art on the Island — no matter the weather!
Let’s look forward to a year of more community on the island with the springtime butterfly garden planting and steppingstone crafts, summer events, another Iowa author open house, Almost Spooky events, and the Third Annual Tree Lighting.
The Jamaica Public Library is located at 316 Main St. in Jamaica. Phone number is 641-429-3362, and the website is www.jamaica.lib.ia.us.