Library History

1896

The Acme Book Club, a local literary society, opened on Court Row with 600 books mostly donated by club members.


1898

The Acme Book Club moved to a second floor room at the corner of Maple and First Street.


1899

Sarah Rice Withers

Sarah Rice Withers, a former member of the Presbyterian Church in Nicholasville, donated $32,943 to church Trustees to establish the Withers Library, a public circulating library.

The Trustees rented and equipped a room on the ground floor of the building at Maple and First Street (104 W. Maple Street). They purchased about 1,200 books, hired a librarian and assistant, and hired professional help to catalog the books.

The Withers Library was open full-time, six days a week.


1906 – 1907

Interior of the library on Main Street, circa 1967.

In 1906, construction began on a large, two-story brick building on the northwest corner of Main and Oak Street. This allowed for a much larger library on the second floor, while three separate rooms on the first floor provided rental income.

The new library opened to the public on July 22, 1907.

It provided library services for over 60 years, until 1968.


1950s – 1960s

A Black woman and a white woman on a library bookmobile in 1968.

Bookmobile service came to Jessamine County in 1954 when the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives provided a bookmobile and book collection to the Jessamine County Board of Education.

Initially, the Board of Education paid for staffing and operating costs, and the bookmobile visited only schools. Later, the city and county governments and other organizations contributed support and formed a Bookmobile Board of Trustees.

By 1964, the bookmobile librarian was working three days a week on the bookmobile and three days a week as the Withers librarian.


1967

Two children look at a book, circa 1967.

The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives opened a “demonstration library” on the first floor of the Withers Library, providing books, equipment, and furniture. KDLA also paid the salaries of the county librarian and the bookmobile librarian for two years.

The Bluegrass South Regional Library District, which served Jessamine, Fayette, Garrard, and Lincoln counties, moved into office space on the first floor.

The Jessamine County Library District Board of Trustees formed to oversee the demonstration library and the bookmobile library, while the Withers Board of Trustees continued to oversee the Withers Library upstairs.


1968

Exterior of Withers-Jessamine County Public Library, circa 1974.

To meet the demands of the growing community, the Withers Trustees financed the purchase of real estate and the construction of a new 3,456 square foot library building at Second and Chestnut Street.

On September 3, 1968, the new library opened as the Withers-Jessamine County Public Library, and the two libraries and their boards officially merged.

The Bluegrass South Regional Library District maintained their headquarters in the building.

On October 1, 1968, the Board of Trustees began a successful drive to secure a library property tax.


1973 – 1975

With its more accessible location and modern collection, library usage increased and quickly outgrew its space.

Construction on a new building on the corner of Second and Maple Streets started in June 1974 and finished in February of 1975. 

In May of 1975, the building was dedicated as the Withers Memorial Public Library.


1994 – 1996

The Jessamine County Public Library at 600 S. Main Street shortly after it was completed in 1996.

In 1994, faced once again with the need for additional space, the Board of Trustees began to raise funds for a new facility at 600 South Main Street.

The new Withers Memorial Public Library opened in September of 1996. The new building increased the library’s size from 7,500 square feet to 18,600 square feet.


2001

In February of 2001, the Trustees voted to change the library’s name to the Jessamine County Public Library. The meeting room was renamed the Sarah Rice Withers Room.


2003 – 2004

The Jessamine County Public Library expanded on the north end, adding 4,200 square feet to the facility.

Changes included:

  • The doubling in size of the Children’s Library
  • The creation of a New Books and Reading Lounge
  • The addition of a quiet area for public computer use

2014

Expansion construction in 2015 at the library on 600 S. Main Street.

To meet the increased need for more books, technology, meeting room space, programs, and other materials, the Jessamine County Public Library began an expansion project in October 2014.  During construction, the library temporarily relocated to a warehouse space on Computrex Drive.


2016

Interior of Jessamine County Public Library after it reopened on South Main St. in 2016.

The library reopened at the Main Street location on January 19, 2016.

The expansion doubled the library’s size to 41,000 square feet. The size of meeting room space tripled, and the Children’s Library more than doubled to about 6,000 square feet.

The library also added:

  • A Recording Studio
  • A Computer Classroom
  • A Study Room
  • A Teen Library
  • A Creative Space with 3D printers and other cutting-edge equipment

In 2016, the Kentucky Public Library Association recognized JCPL as one of nine exemplary libraries in the state.


2021

Computer stations in JCPL+.

In the summer of 2021, the Jessamine County Public Library opened a self-service branch in the Wilmore Municipal Center.

JCPL+ Wilmore offers a collection of new and popular books and movies as well as public computers and printing and copying services.


2022

The Jessamine Events Mobile, a colorful outreach vehicle.

In the spring of 2022, the library began bringing library programs and services to the community with the Jessamine Events Mobile (J.E.M.).

In July of 2022, the Jessamine County Public Library eliminated overdue fines.


2023

The new JCPL Creative Space, a large, colorful room with big worktables, 3D printers, laser cutters, and other equipment.

Construction to expand the Creative Space began in February 2023, and it reopened to the public on August 14, 2023. The Grand Opening was held on October 15, 2023.

The expansion tripled the Creative Space’s capacity, allowing more room for the community to gather, create, invent, and learn with additional cutting-edge equipment.

As a result of the expansion, there are now two Quiet Rooms, and the East Entrance again includes a wheelchair-accessible ramp.