Riverside City History
People Who Have Made A Difference: Irene Jones

Riverside made an important step in growth when the Mid-Continent Public Library opened a branch in 1970. The branch at Woodland and Gateway was opened by Mildred Barr.

After 11 months, assistant Irene Jones took over and operated the library for 19 years. Ironically, Jones' retirement in 1990 coincided with plans for a new facility at Gateway and Vivion Road.

Nevertheless, Mrs. Jones gets much of the credit for "building" the library as it stands today. It's just that her work involved people, especially children, not brick and mortar. "We pulled out all the stops, tried everything we could think of to pull people in," she recalled. "I even dressed my husband Norman as Santa Claus for the kids. It was slow going at first. But after a while that library was full."

The tactics worked. Before long, "story hour" for young people, early adoption of multi-media and other programs kept the 5,000 s.f. building full most days and evenings. The new facility, built in 1990, continues that legacy with a wide range of programs.

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