JAMESTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — The Patmos Library in Jamestown Township has reopened more than two weeks after most of its staff resigned.
“We are so excited to welcome anyone and everyone and we’re ready to serve the community of Jamestown,” Patmos Library Interim Director Debby Helmkamp, formally the head librarian, told News 8.
Earlier this month on May 9, the library temporarily closed when the majority of its staff members resigned, it announced with a notice on its website. It said it would reopen in time for its summer reading program.
Patmos Library reopened to the public on May 27, 2025, after being closed for a little more than two weeks.
Patmos Library temporarily closes after staff resigns
During its May 12 meeting, the Patmos Board of Trustees appointed Helmkamp as the interim director and hired an interim human resources manager, according to minutes from the meeting.
Later that week on May 19, the Patmos Board of Trustees held a special meeting to discuss the reopening process. According to minutes from the meeting, it had four candidates for seasonal positions at the library, two of whom did not have prior library experience. The board determined that seasonal staff would be trained later that week.
Hiring the seasonal staff can be done by the acting director without the board’s approval, the minutes say. On Wednesday, the board’s Personnel Committee will hold a special meeting to review applications it has received for open library positions.
“We have been working really hard to open the doors and we’re excited to just welcome everybody, and to just continue to serve the public,” Helmkamp said when News 8 asked about the reopening process over the last two weeks.
Bored this summer? Read, earn prizes from your local library
The small library has faced controversy over the past few years over LGBTQ books on its shelves. The library board’s president previously told News 8 about 90 books in its 67,000-title catalog were LGBTQ-related. In 2022, Patmos Library made national headlines when voters twice rejected a millage for the library that accounts for 85% of its budget. The library was expected to close until the millage was ultimately renewed in a third vote in November of 2023.
