Jamestown Area Library FAQs

HOW DID THE LIBRARY START AND HOW DID IT EXPAND TO WHAT IT IS NOW?

Welcome to the Jamestown Area Library (JAL)! Our library was started with donated books and cabinets after the flood in the fall of 2013. As interest grew and the community expressed a desire for a permanent library as part of the flood recovery process, a committee was formed to continue the effort. The Jamestown Board of Trustees approved a permanent space in the Town Hall for a library in the spring of 2015.

HOW DOES THE LIBRARY GET ITS MATERIALS?

All of our books are donated, many by members of the Jamestown area community. We also have a reciprocal relationship with the Nederland Community Library Foundation and they have donated many of our acquisitions. The Boulder Public Library donated our shelves, making it much easier to organize and use our collection. We have now expanded into our permanent space and we welcome you and invite you to make use of our new library and selection of books.

HOW CAN I BORROW A BOOK?

There is no check out required to borrow a book. Just help yourself; borrowing is on the honors system. We ask that you either return it when you are finished, or if you just love a book that you have borrowed and can’t live without it, we simply ask that you replace it with another book that you no longer want.

HOW SHOULD I RETURN BOOKS?

Please bring your books back when the Town Hall is open and leave them on the maroon shelving cart next to the library shelves. Please do not leave books outside in the weather if the Town Hall is locked.

HOW IS THE LIBRARY ORGANIZED?

The three shelves on the left contain Adult Fiction. They are organized according to author’s last name, alphabetically.

The two shelves to the right of the Adult Fiction shelves contain Non-Fiction. We have, to the best of our ability, organized them according to the Dewey Decimal System, as you would find in any other public library. The shelves are labeled and organized numerically with the general categories in the Dewey Decimal System. The books are shelved within their category first numerically, then by author’s last name. Additionally, we have made an attempt at labeling each book with an abbreviation of its general subject on its spine label, e.g. SCI for Science, HIST for History, etc.

The bottom right shelf of the Non-Fiction section contains media, e.g. DVDs and books on tape.

The last shelf on the right is the Teens and Children’s section. Teens are on the top shelf, followed by Juvenile Fiction, Non-Fiction, Picture books, Easy Reader books, and Board books.

WHEN IS THE LIBRARY OPEN?

The library is open generally M-F, 9 AM – 4 PM, or whenever the Town Hall is unlocked.

HOW CAN I DONATE BOOKS TO THE LIBRARY?

There is a box on the table to the left of the library shelves that is labeled for donations. We accept small quantities of books that meet the following criteria: current, contemporary, popular books; no periodicals, textbooks, or books that are falling apart; no books older than 1990, unless they are Classics.

When deciding whether to donate a book, a good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if you think patrons of our library would check it out. Please don’t decide to “unload” your old books on our library; it will make extra work for our small staff of volunteers.

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED IN HELPING AT THE LIBRARY?

Call or email any committee member and we will let you know what we can use help with and get you started.

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