Jefferson County Library Foundation Receives Enterprise Grant

The Jefferson County Library (JCL) Foundation has received a $1,500 grant from Enterprise Holdings Foundation, according to says JCL director Pam Klipsch.

County Councilwoman Renee Reuter (2nd District), who sponsored the  foundation’s grant application, presented the check at the May 15 meeting of the Library Board of Trustees. Reuter, an attorney specializing in intellectual property rights, is part of Enterprise’s in-house legal team. Her father, Mike Devlin, is a long time volunteer at the Windsor Branch Library in Barnhart.

“My family has always been big library users,” Reuter said. “When I was a child growing up in north St. Louis County, we walked to the library every week to get books. Our Jefferson County Library is very near to my heart, and I am happy to be able to present this check to the Library Foundation. I know they will put it to good use.”

Library Board president Susan Retta Tuggle expressed the Board and the Foundation’s appreciation to Reuter for sponsoring the Foundation’s grant application.

“We are grateful to have the support of our elected county officials for the work the library is doing for the community,” Tuggle said.

Klipsch said the Enterprise grant will be used to augment eBook service for children and teens. Coincidentally, the Library Board meeting was also the occasion of the official announcement of the eBook and eAudiobook service --- MOLIB2GO ---that will be available to Jefferson County Library cardholders beginning June 1st.

“We will use this grant to add more children’s and teen books to our eBook collection,” Klipsch said. “The experience of other libraries has demonstrated that eBooks are a great incentive for getting and keeping kids reading, and with our Summer Reading Program just kicking off, this couldn’t come at a better time.”