Brief History of the Jay County Public Library:

In 1902 a grant of $15,000 from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation was used to construct the Portland City Library on East Walnut Street. The building was expanded in 1973. In 1976 the library taxing district was enlarged to include several townships in the county and the name was changed to Jay County Public Library.

The present 24,000 square foot facility, constructed in 1996, was funded by a general obligation bond issue; donations from local organizations and individuals; and state and federal grants. The library serves a population of 17,500. With more than 100,000 items available for use, circulation for 2000 was in excess of 306,000.