Jasper Library Is A Gem

“It is a little gem,” said part-time library team member Dixie Rogers describing the Jasper County Library. And gem it is. A critical hub for the community, the library o?ers regular and large text print books and audio books, magazines, the local newspaper, computers, movies, games, lego building, story time, summer reading activities, 24/7 internet access, meeting room space, programing and events, used books for sale, local artist exhibits, drop in arts and crafts, notary service, faxing, copying, laminating, quiet reading and study space, genealogy records, Jasper County historical books, the Persons’ Special Collection and so much more.

One of nine local libraries in the 2021 Library of the Year Azalea Regional Library System, (AZRLS) the Jasper County Library and its team of employees provide much needed library and community services for the people who live and work in Jasper County.

Dixie Rogers started her work with the library just over a year and a half ago in January of 2022. Born in Atlanta, Dixie and her family moved to Rome, when Dixie was 11, to be around her extended family, all of whom are from the Rome area.

Married to husband Tony Rogers for 38 years, Dixie and her husband lived in McDonough for 27 years before moving to Monticello in 2018 after Tony retired from Georgia Power. They are parents to two children, 22 year old daughter Chris and 32 year old son Ethan. Chris who played trumpet in her college marching band, graduates this December with a degree in psychology. Ethan, a musician who plays guitar, drums and piano among other instruments, is a legacy employee at Georgia Power one of many generations in his family who have worked at Georgia Power like his father, grandfather, uncles and cousins.

A self-described band mom, Dixie herself was a member of her high school marching band. The caretaker of the family, she spent many years as a stay at home mom for her two children and the last 10 years helping to take care of her ailing mom. She is also a genealogy enthusiast and along with her daily duties at the library, Dixie will be teaching an upcoming in person genealogy class for library patrons.

Joining the Jasper County Library team in April of this year, library manager Kisha Jones worked for five years in the AZRLS at the Morgan County Library in Madison before coming to Jasper County. Responsible for the overall comings and goings at the library including programming and community outreach, Kisha is excited to start new programming in the Fall, including a new winter reading program that will take place from November to February.

A former high school and middle school teacher in Putnam and Newton counties, Kisha has a bachelor’s degree in political science and history and a Masters in Education from Georgia College and State University (GCSU). She has also spent time working in retail management and was the Director of the Morgan County African-American Museum in Madison

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A resident of Madison and native to Morgan County, Kisha has generations of educators and farmers in her family from both Morgan and Putnam counties and she has traced her family tree in the area back to slavery. She lives with her daughter Sidney Jones, a 2021 graduate of the University of Georgia (UGA) with a degree in ecology, currently a teacher working at the primary school in Madison.

Kisha is looking forward to partnerships with the Jasper County Charter Schools (JCCS). During the school year, the library will participate in monthly story time visits for kindergarten through second grade classrooms and elementary school visits for grades third through fifth. The library also has plans to provide more community outreach to local child care centers and will be creating an audio book club for the Jasper County Senior Center. And, as mentioned above, the library will be hosting a genealogy class in July. “You can find out about yourself when you do genealogy,” Kisha added.

When not at work, Kisha likes to write. “I know there’s a novel in me,” she said. She’s also a family person, enjoying time with her many family members in the area and her two cats, Judah and Callie. “I like small towns. Small town living is good for family life,” said Kisha, telling me, “I like people and I love customer service.”

Part-time library team member Kay Brooks started working with the library almost two years ago. Born in Clayton County, and raised in the Atlanta area, she migrated to Monticello to be near family, especially her grandmother Alice Brooks. Spending her summers and most weekends in Monticello with her grandmother since she was a child, Kay is at home in Monticello. She is mom to her 26-year-old son and a grandmother to her 18-month-old grandson.

Kay brings new life to outdoor programming at the library, just in time for summer! If you haven’t played hopscotch in awhile, check out her handiwork on the the sidewalks around the library (when the rains haven’t washed it away) and try your hand at hopscotch or throwing a rock in blocks with words like Brave, Love, Creative, Smart and Powerful and Imaginative, Truthful, Kind, Helpful and Important.

A graduate of Perimeter College and Georgia Southern University, Kay has degrees in Health and Physical Education and Outdoor Recreation. She is also a Project Learning Tree Instructor and a certified Emergency Management Technician (EMT) and Paramedic and she worked in the health care field for 20 years. Additionally, Kay is certified in scuba diving and Belay rock climbing.

During her o? time, Kay enjoys monthly hiking, rock climbing and kayaking excursions, taking others whenever she can. She loves working in kids programming, saying, “I truly think I am here for the kids.” Kay believes in helping people. A woman of service, she lives through her faith daily, her faith a critical component of her life.

Kristina (Kristy) Je?ries has been with the Jasper County Library for the past five years. A Rockdale County native, Kristy moved with her mom, Marsha Potts, to Monticello about 10 years ago. Kristy’s sister Chantae Bowen, who works for the 911 Call Center in Jackson, also lives in Monticello.

Married to Jimmy Lee Je?ries for five years but together for the last 16 years, she and Jimmy have one daughter, 15-year-old Adrienne, a Jasper County High School rising tenth grader who enjoys computer science and the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).

Describing her family as close knit, Kristy’s idea of the perfect night out is a spend the night party at her grandmother’s house watching movies, wearing mumus and eating pizza with her daughter and her granny Joyce Hodge.

“Reading is the key to everything,” said Kristy adamantly. An avid reader, including listening to audio books on Libby (Jasper County Library’s audio reading app), Kristy stressed, “if you can’t read, you can’t do anything.”

Armed with a customer service background and previous work at the local Get Ahead House, Kristy enjoys helping with the children’s programming. Most recently she hosted a dance party at the library with music makers while encouraging reading by highlighting the children’s book, Pete The Groovy Cat.

“I love the environment when I am at work. Work is my relaxation. I love helping the patrons and seeing them happy,” Kristy said.

Tamala Alexander, a much loved fixture in the community and at the Jasper County Library for the past 16 years, is the library’s only other full time employee. She currently manages and oversees the library’s Persons Collection—an extensive special collection of art, interior design and architecture books and materials made possible through the bequest by Monticello native Thomas B. Persons, Jr. to honor his parents Thomas Persons and Bessie Spears Persons.

Formerly the library manager, Tamala started her new role at the library after stepping down from management for personal and family reasons. In her work with the Persons Collection she is responsible for ordering books and for programming and events related to the collection.

Born and raised in Monticello and a 2001 Jasper County High School graduate, Tamala is surrounded by extended family, the center of her life. Married to husband DeAndre Alexander, they have three children DeArione, Drake and Darla, ages 19, 13 and 8.

Dedicated to serving the library patrons and its community, Tamala o?ers a wealth of information for those needing help at the library. When not working, she can be found braiding hair, cooking and hanging out with family and friends.

Substitute library team member Eunice Davis has been with the Jasper County Library for over a year now. Filling in when needed, she pitches in when her co-coworkers are out sick and on vacation. Eunice has lived in Monticello since she was 18, having moved to Monticello from Eatonton to live with her sister, Marie Miller, and her family.

Retired from Ga Power, she has also worked as a substitute library team member at the Eatonton Library, with the little ones at the child care center Kiddie Campus and for three years, during the hardest years of Covid-19, she worked at the Jasper Memorial Hospital. Covid has been extremely hard on Eunice and her family. She has lost 12 family members to Covid since its outbreak.

Married to husband Glen Davis for 45 years and still going strong, her brother-in-law George Davis, a Vietnam veteran, has also lived with them for the past 17 years. She and Glen have two children, daughter Juawanna and son Glen, Jr. They are grandparents to seven grandchildren, ages three to 27, and great-grandparents to a one -year-old great-grandchild and they have one great-grandchild on the way.

Without hesitation, Eunice easily answered that her favorite thing about working at the library is the people who come into the library everyday. She loves being out meeting people and enjoys everyone who comes in- “the good, the bad and the indi?erent,” she said.

Completing her General Educational Development (GED) Diploma in 2021, Eunice said it’s never too late to learn. She enjoys relaxing at home playing board games and watching TV when she’s not at work.

Library team member LaShae Perryman, unavailable during the interviews, is another valued member of the Jasper County Library team. Born and raised in Monticello she has been a part time library team member for the past two years. And if you haven’t seen LaShae helping patrons at the library, you might have seen her helping customers at her second job at Monticello Drugs, Monticello’s locally owned and operated pharmacy and gift shop.

Whether shelving books, checking out books for patrons, hosting children’s programs, reading books at story time or helping folks with wi-fi and the computers, the Jasper County Library Team is ready to help. Don’t forget to check out the summer reading program. Sign up is ongoing and activities themed “All Together Now” run through July culminating with a Library Field Day on July 28.

The Jasper County Library is located at 319 East Greene Street, Monticello, GA and can be reached via phone at 706.468.6292. Current hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday – 9a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and closed on Sunday.