For the first time in its 104-year history, the Jefferson Public Library has a logo!

Library Director Jane Millard says the idea came about after the library ran out of book bags. She points out they got together with the Friends of the Library and everyone agreed they wanted to do something special, and it came during a time when everything in Jefferson seemed to be about “branding” itself.

“We just realized that we needed a brand. Something that people could look at easily and say, ‘Oh I know that, that’s the Jefferson Public Library.’ Wherever they see it.”

The logo showcases the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower with books right beside it, as it spells out “Jefferson Public Library.” Millard adds that they enlisted the help of a foreign exchange student in the Greene County High School art department on the final design of the logo. She says it was a natural fit to include the local high school because they believe in local talent.

“They’ve done a lot of wonderful things around our community and we wanted to involve them. We were so pleased when Mohamed Ahmed designed this logo, we were just very pleased with it. And there was no reason for us to see a professional designer of any kind because we loved his design.”

The logo is on the new green canvas bags available for purchase at the library. The multi-use tote bags are $10. Plus, there are children’s bags available for $5 with six animal designs including: a giraffe, puppy, kitten, tiger, fox and shark. Any child that signs up for a new library card can select a bag for free as well.