Greater Jasper School Board hears update on public library impact
The Greater Jasper School Consolidated School Board heard an update from the three appointees they have on the Jasper Public Library Board of Directors, Lisa Kinser, Anna Grant and Abby Kennedy.
The three highlighted the tremendous amount of activity that occurs at the Jasper Public Library, as well as at the three contractual libraries , Dubois, Ferdinand, and Birdseye.
The Jasper Public Library experienced unprecedented usage during the summer months, with 50,136 checkouts and renewals at the main branch alone, according to a report presented to the school board. Across all four branches of the Dubois County Contractual Library system, patrons completed 76,475 checkouts and renewals during the summer period.
The library hosted 113 programs this summer, including 37 children’s programs, 33 teen programs and 43 adult programs. Summer reading completion reached 1,155 participants at the Jasper branch, with 2,192 total completions across all four locations.
“This summer, wow, did we have a lot of people come through the Jasper Library,” said Kennedy.
Door counts showed 34,516 visitors to the Jasper library during the summer, with a total of 49,775 visitors across all four branches. The library processed 4,549 holds at Jasper and 6,104 total holds across the system, indicating strong patron interest in specific materials.
The five-year-old Jasper library building continues to transform community engagement with literacy and programming. The facility offers eight individual study rooms and flexible meeting spaces that nonprofits, knitting groups and book clubs can reserve.
“The study rooms alone had just over 1,700 individual times of those being rented out and used,” Grant reported. “It’s like a true community space for all people.”
Access to technology remains a critical service, with over 6,000 unique devices connecting to the library’s Wi-Fi in the first six months of the year.
“In the summertime I go there personally for graduate school so I have quiet time for my kids. And I see people out in the parking lot already connecting to the Wi-Fi from a distance and waiting for the library doors to open,” Grant noted.
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library program has distributed over 22,000 books to local families, with enrollment beginning as early as hospital stays for newborns. The program recently expanded to offer bilingual English and Spanish options for all books.
“Two books each year automatically come bilingual English and Spanish. But now you have the option of getting every single book that is English and Spanish both in each book,” Grant explained.
Healthcare providers, including Jasper Pediatrics, Jasper OBGYN, and other offices, have helped to promote the program to new parents. The health department also assists with outreach efforts.
The library maintains partnerships with Jasper High School’s Key Club for community events, including meet Santa events and Halloween programming. Staff regularly conduct field trips for elementary schools and ensure students have library cards at the beginning of each school year.
“At the beginning of the school year, they’ll come and make sure that students have a library card,” Kinser said. “She asks people on the community if they have a library card, and if they do, she gives them a prize.”
Community outreach extends beyond the main facility, with librarians visiting Maple Grove on a monthly basis to conduct crafts with children and distribute bilingual book collections. The library’s “Library of Things” program continues to attract attention from visitors.
The facility also serves as one of the few remaining locations where residents can print documents and access protected internet services. This proves particularly valuable for students and families without access to home internet.
Golden emphasized the transformation since the new building opened five years ago, describing an “explosion of services” that exceeded expectations. She explained that the library has become a hub of activity, regardless of whether any events are taking place there.
Visitors frequently praise the facility, with one recent patron telling staff it was “the best library I’ve ever been to.”
“My favority thing to hear people say is ‘My family is in town and I brought them here,'” Golden told the board.
The library operates with support from a dedicated board and staff who work collaboratively across all four branches. Each location tailors programming to meet specific community needs, with branch managers providing quarterly reports on services and community requirements.
Looking ahead, the library board continues to seek ways to expand community outreach while managing budget constraints and ensuring that staff are not overextended. The focus remains on maintaining the library as a welcoming community hub.
“Bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services, and great libraries build communities,” Kinser quoted. “And we truly feel like we have a great library.”
The school board also heard or took the following actions:
Budget Adoption and Financial Planning
The school board unanimously approved the 2026 budget after advertising it and holding the required public hearings in August with no questions or objections. The 2026 budget with an advertised tax rate of $1.8382 per $100 of assessed value, though the actual rate will be significantly lower based on certified assessed valuation. Last year’s advertised rate of $1.7125 resulted in an actual rate of $0.9777.
Jasper High School Classroom Addition Project
The board approved moving forward with bid solicitation for a significant expansion, adding 13-14 new classrooms to Jasper High School’s north side. The project includes relocating the existing northern drive, underground utility work, and mechanical system upgrades, including chiller replacement. Construction timeline spans from February 2025 through December 2027, with careful scheduling to minimize disruption during school sessions. The addition features dedicated early learning center classrooms with separate entry and drop-off area, plus a mechanical room for new equipment. Three alternates address concrete versus asphalt paving options, additional fire protection connections, and roof membrane replacement over existing classrooms.
