JAMESTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — After closing its doors earlier this month, following mass staff resignations, Patmos Library in Jamestown Township reopened Tuesday with a new interim director.
The library was forced to close on May 9 when staff members resigned, citing conflicts with the library board.
"I was disappointed to see the former librarians leave. They were an integral part of the experience here at Patmos," said one library patron.
Former staff members had expressed concerns about their work environment, with one stating, "That has been making us feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, not a place we all want to work."
Debby Helmkamp has stepped in as interim director to get the library back up and running.
"I'm just looking forward to serving everybody and getting to know everyone in Jamestown. I am from Hudsonville, and so I'm just really excited to meet everyone that walks in our doors," Helmkamp said.
Her first priority is organizing the children's summer reading program.
"That's so important. We are not going to let that go. That's huge to our community, and something that the kids look forward to every summer," she explained.
Patrons expressed relief at the reopening.
"This was a very long two weeks not having a library," one community member said.
Another added, "Libraries are very important for the community. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it stays a good library."
Tricia Kryda, a library patron, emphasized the importance of community support going forward.
"I want people to know that Patmos is back open, to come and meet all the new librarians. We want this to become like a community, a place where we can all meet and come together and support each other," Kryda said.
The library's personnel committee will meet at the library on Wednesday at 1 p.m. to review applications for open positions. There will be time for public comment during the meeting.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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