May is named after the Roman goddess Maia, who oversaw the growth of plants. The birthstone is the emerald and the flower is the lily-of-the-valley. Some observances in May are: Adopt A Horse Month, Asthma Awareness Month, Chip Your Pet Month, Gardening for Wildlife Month, Get Caught Reading Month, Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, National Barbeque Month, and National Strawberry Month. For more fun facts, recipes, educational information, interesting links and more please like and follow our Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and Bluesky social media accounts.
Here ye, here ye, read all about it! The Jamerson Memorial Library is hiring! We are looking to fill an upcoming part-time position. Be a part of the team by visiting our website at www.jrjml.org, on the lower right-hand side of the homepage, click on employment application. Fill out and press the submit application, or email your cover letter and resume to Cindy Scheu at director@jrjml.org.
The trees are here, the trees are here! For patrons who signed up for the Neighborhood Forest free tree programs you trees have arrived! You may pick up your tree(s) starting on Tuesday, April 22nd through Monday, April 28th during normal business hours. If you can’t make it during this time please contact the Library so that we can hold your tree(s) for you, within reason. This year’s tree are black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) trees. If you do not pick up your trees they will be given away to other patrons or at our annual Spring Plant Swap.
On Wednesday, April 23rd the Jamerson Library hosted their weekly Story & Craft Time. Library Fairy MaKayla featured the book “Here Comes Spring” written by Susan Kantor. The kids used bug kits to create their own buggy character and colored a storyboard to use their imagination to tell their own ever changing stories staring their own bug. The next Story & Craft Times will be on April 30th and May 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th starting at 11:00 am and 12:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend with the understanding that this program is done on a preschool level.
On Friday, April 25th the Library hosted their “Cookbook Book Club” featuring “celebrating Spring”. An employee brought in deviled eggs to share and provided the recipe from the book “What Should I Bring Next” by Taste of Home. We will be taking a pause from the Cookbook Book Club as we prepare for the much-anticipated Summer Reading Program, but will return this program in the fall.
We are getting down and dirty at the Library! With potting soil! On Friday, May 9th we will host our annual Jamerson Library Spring Plant Swap! Got some plants that need a new home? Come see us! Want to exchange a plant or two for some new friends? Come see us! Have something plant related items like pots, seeds, bareroots or other items and don’t know what to do with them? Come see us! You will find us from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm in our community room with plants to swap out in a fair or generous exchange for plants and other plant-related items. We just have a few simple rules to follow: no dead plants, plants must be free of disease and infestations, plants should be easy to transport, you must leave plants to take plants, and you are responsible for bringing in a tote or box to take plants away.
Watch us grow! On Friday, May 9th we will also launch our very own Seed Library! What is the Jamerson Seed Library and how will it work? Our seed library is a community-based outreach program to provide free access to a variety of seeds/bulbs/bareroots making gardening more accessible to everyone of all skill levels. The purpose of our Seed Library is to promote gardening, sustainability, beautification and food security in our area, a sense of community and the promotion of pollinators such as native bees, birds, and butterflies. When available, each household will be able to request 3 packets of seeds/bulbs/bareroots per week. Each packet will contain either a single kind or a mix of bulbs, bareroots, vegetables, herbs, wildflowers, decorative flowers, plants, and more.
Make plans to join us for the Retro Jamerson Movie Night on Thursday, May 15th starting at 6:00 pm. We will be in our community room to feature a film about a young swashbuckler who rescues the beautiful titled heroine from her sinister husband-to-be in a fun and fetching fairy tale for the whole family. This movie is rated PG, and refreshments will be served.
Looking for something fun and family-friendly to do? Join us for the James River State Park’s “Kids to Parks Day Fair” on Saturday, May 17th. We will be a guest vendor as at this nationally coordinated day designed to connect kids and families with their local, state, and national parks. It will be a day full of fun and adventure. You can pick your own activities or spend the day with a ranger to participate in all the events. We will have a station set up with Library promotions, give-a-ways and more! For more information visit the James River State Park’s website at: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/james-river .
Color Our World, the 2025 Summer Reading Program will start on Monday, June 2nd! We will feature 8 full weeks of programs with a focus on art, photography, writing and storytelling, performance arts and more! This program is open to patrons 2 years of age and older. You must register and submit your reading logs online using Beanstack as we are taking a more environmentally friendly approach to this year’s record keeping. To register download the Beanstack App on the Apple Store or Google Play. Search for the Jamerson Library and sign up each participant by following the instructions and answering a few simple questions on the App. If you have any questions or are having difficulty logging on, come to the front desk with your cellphone/tablet, and a friendly staff member will be happy to help you.
In observance of the Memorial Day Holiday the Library will be closed on Monday, May 26th. We will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday, May 27th starting at 9:30 am. The book depository, located at the back of the building, will remain open during this time.