T-R PHOTO BY SARA JORDAN-HEINTZ Marshalltown Public Library Reference Services Librarian Jasmine Fisher started her new job the day of the tornado — July 19. She said her first day was fairly routine until the tornado sirens and alarms went off later in the afternoon.

For many people, the first day on the job is filled with a variety of emotions. For Jasmine Fisher, having an EF-3 tornado touch down over her new workplace added a whole other level of stress.

Fisher, a native of the small town of Wellman, near Iowa City, had just completed her masters in library information science from the University of Iowa when she accepted a job at the Marshalltown Public Library as a reference services librarian.

“(July 19) was pretty routine up until the last two hours of the day,” Fisher said. “I was mostly just learning and getting accustomed to the information desk. Then the weather radio kept going off but people said, ‘Oh, it’s Iowa. Nothing ever happens, so we ignored the alarms.”

But it wasn’t until her new boss Library Director Sarah Rosenblum said it was time for people to take shelter that Fisher felt the gravity of the situation.

“It’s never good when people say you need to go (take shelter). But then the power started to go out and the radio turned to static and it was terrifying,” Fisher said.

Staff and library patrons, including several adolescents, sought refuge in storage rooms near the youth department, as well as the restrooms.

“Since I was in the storage room I didn’t hear anything because it is completely surrounded by concrete,” she said. “But the people who were in the restrooms said they could hear everything. When we finally came out, it was like coming out of a nuclear fallout shelter. We didn’t know what we were going to see when we came out. We saw all the trees broken and the cars. You can see scratch marks all across my car.”

Because the library had no power, it closed early for the day. However, Fisher still had a long drive home.

“I live in Zearing now, but at that time I was still commuting an hour and half home to North Liberty because I hadn’t moved yet. I white-knuckled it all the way home,” she said.

Rosenblum said she was impressed with her new employee’s composure.

“She stayed really calm. I thought she’ll never forget this day … I saw what she’s made of,” Rosenblum said. “I remember thinking to myself, if she shows up on Monday, this will be a good thing.”

The library was closed the following Friday and reopened that Saturday. Fisher wasn’t scheduled to return to work until Monday.

“It felt like a really long time,” Fisher said.

Her second day on the job was a blur.

“It felt really hectic. There were so many questions we were trying to field and figure out where all that information was. It was really busy those first few days, and went quickly,” she said.

Rosenblum said her staff tackled over 250 tornado-related questions over the next 30 days.

Now, months after the tornado, Fisher is finally adjusting to her new position.

“I spend most of my time at the information desk, I answer reference questions and offer tech assistance,” she said.

Fisher said she’s eager to serve the library’s patrons.

“When I applied for the job, it felt like a really good fit, and I was really ‘vibing’ with the place. Then the tornado happened, and it felt so surreal, but when I came back to work, I knew I needed to do as much as I could for people.”

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Contact Sara Jordan-Heintz at

(641) 753-6611 or sjordan@timesrepublican.com