The Library's mission is to provide the people of Louisville
and Jefferson County with the broadest possible access to knowledge, ideas, and
information, and to support them in their pursuit of learning.
One of our most popular libraries, the Jeffersontown Branch
is situated on expansive grounds in a tranquil setting near a bustling
industrial park. Here it is easy to locate business information quickly
or stay to read or study.
History: The City of Jeffersontown has had a public library for most
of this century. On May 11, 1911, a library, sponsored by the Current Events
Club, was started in a "newly papered and painted" room of the Bruce
Building on Jeffersontown's historic Town Square. In 1917, the library received
books from the Main Library and was moved to the town bank. From 1917 to 1938,
it relocated to various locations, including private homes, and was staffed by
volunteers.
In 1939, the library moved to the Municipal Building and
later the WPA Recreation Center, the librarians being paid by the Woman's Club.
After relocating to the old Jeffersontown High School, the library was closed
for four years. It reopened in 1948 on the back porch of Betty Elswick's home.
After a stay at this location, the library moved to an annex of the
Presbyterian Church, and in 1962 it moved to the Jeffersontown Shopping Center
and became part of the Louisville Free Public Library system. From here, the
library relocated in 1970 to Colonial Manor, a former county home for the
poor.
The library operated in Colonial Manor until 1994, when the
branch returned to the shopping center while a new library was constructed. The
new branch library was built next to Colonial Manor, and the $1.5 million
branch opened on January 29, 1996. The 14,000-square-foot building features a
wing devoted to children's and teen's services and materials, an adult
reference area with more than twenty computers, a meeting room available for
public use, and a comfortable reading area awash with natural light. The
Jeffersontown Museum, under separate management, occupies the south side of the
structure.
There are no fees charged for meeting room use.