Since the announcement from the Jefferson Library Board of Trustees in December of 2022 to move forward with expanding its current space, the next step in the process is officially underway.

Library Director Jane Millard says in August, ten community members and library staff have been working with an advisor from Amperage Fundraising and Marketing in Cedar Rapids, to conduct a readiness study, as she explains what is the ultimate goal of this study.

“And this process is to discover an organization’s feasibility or readiness, in our case, to launch into a capital campaign for a future expansion.”

Millard describes what the committee and the advisor are going to do to achieve this goal by the end of 2024.

“They will sample potential donors and ask them how they feel about the library and the library’s plans for the future, and the need for an expansion. It’s a community library so we need community involvement.” 

Millard reviews that the readiness study stemmed from a space needs assessment that was done in 2018, which resulted in the current buildings being inadequate for today’s services and resources needed for the community. Then in 2022, Millard notes an architectural feasibility study was done with Franks Design Group to provide different expansion options. She adds that the final report from the readiness study will be presented to the Jefferson City Council and the Library Board of Trustees in January, when the next steps in the process will be determined.