November is Library and Information Services Month…at least in the Philippines it is. But I think as the year comes to a close, it is important to look back on our libraries and remember why they are important to us and our communities. So let’s celebrate!
Though not the oldest library around, the Cape Girardeau Public Library as an organization has been around for over 100 years! That’s incredible! We might have a new building, new books, and new ways of making information available to the masses, but our mission is still pretty close to being the same - to be a hub of the community and to provide access and information on resources available to the public for little to no cost. It’s an important mission and one that we take pride in.
So what kinds of materials and services can be found at the Cape Girardeau Public Library that make us special, unique, and important to our community? Here are a few, but trust me there’s more!
Homebound Services: meant for those who cannot get out of their homes easily to get to the library, our volunteers make book & library material deliveries and pickups every two weeks.
WiFi in the Parks: community members can access free WiFi through eleven different access points at seven local parks!
LitLocker: provides for 24-hour hold pick up. Patrons can borrow and return books regardless of the library's hours. The LitLocker is located just outside the front doors of the library!
Passport & Notary Services: Did you know we are a one-stop shop for passports? Book an appointment to get your paperwork processed and your photo taken all in one place!
Sensory Programs: Open to both the public and individual groups, these sensory craft times held through the Adult Services Department are meant to be easy on the senses, low stress, and fun for everyone involved.
Storytimes: We offer both private (daycare) and public storytimes for the kiddos in your life. Tuesdays (Ages 3-5), Wednesdays (Ages 0-1), and Thursdays (Ages 2-3)
Parenting/Family Programs: These educational classes are done by the Youth Services Department for individuals 19+ and include helpful information on topics such as family nutrition and baby led weaning practices.
Youth/Teen Programming: Our team in Youth works hard to create a colorful, educational, and fun list of both active and passive programs going all year round! Looking for a way to get free books? Join one of their Full STEAM Ahead programs. Want something that you can do on your own time? Look out for their monthly reading challenges, and scavenger hunts, or enroll in their 1000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative.
Library of Things: So named because it's all the things you can check out at the library that aren't media-based (books, movies, etc.). Want to learn how to crochet? We’ve got the hooks! Want to teach your kids how to fish? Swing by for a pole and tackle box. There are so many possibilities!
- Memory Matters Kits: Made possible by the Missouri State Library through an LSTA grant and supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, these 14 themed kits are geared for adults with memory trouble and a decline in cognitive function and their caregivers to help them boost and strengthen those skills and abilities.
- Tools: Did you know you can check out an electric jigsaw? Or a post-hole digger? Or even loppers, pruning shears’ bigger, more intimidating relative?
- Instruments: Want to learn an instrument but don’t want to pay a ton of money until you're sure you'll like it? Check out our guitar, keyboard, or ukuleles.
- STEAM Kits: Like the memory kits, but for kids! These kits are designed to get kids interested in science, mathematics, reading, and learning. There are so many different ones to choose from, but my personal favorites are the Rocks & Fossils Kit and the Microscope Kit.
- Backpacks: Into exploring the outdoors with your kiddos and friends? Then these bags are just for you! Want to teach your kids how to track animals? There’s a bag for that!
There are a lot of reasons to celebrate our library and libraries in general! But let's not limit our celebration to one month out of the year. We should always be celebrating the wonderful library and information service institutions around us. It’s a great way to build our community up and create a thriving environment for us all.
Other Information Services In Our Area:
- Academic Libraries: Kent Library at SEMO
- Archive Centers: Cape Girardeau County Archive Center in Jackson, MO
- Museums: like the Cape River Heritage Museum and the Crisp Museum on River Campus
- School Libraries - if you have kids, encourage them to use the libraries that their school has to offer!
Lifelong learning is the gift that keeps on giving. Isn’t it so great that we have so many different avenues within Cape Girardeau that we can explore?
Fun Facts!
- The oldest library in the world (that we know of) is Al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco (according to this CCN article, it was built in 859 AD).
- The biggest library in the world is The Library of Congress (According to the Guinness World Records, its collection held 173,731,463 items at the end of 2021 and it spans the length of 838 miles of bookshelves. That’s pretty huge!)
- The Cape Girardeau Public Library was one of the last Carnegie libraries to be commissioned in the state of Missouri.
Below are some other unique libraries from around the world!
- Beinecke Library at Yale University, Connecticut - is one of the world’s largest libraries devoted to rare books and manuscripts. The walls of the library are made with translucent veined marble that allows for low levels of natural light to keep the materials safe from sun damage.
- Tête Carrée in Nice, France - Sculpted by famous french sculptor Sacha Sosno in combination with architects Francis Chapus and Yves Bayard, the result is a sort of living art - one part sculpture, one part library.
- Gute Bücher für Alle, Floating Books - funded by a German charity in the 70’s, this library operates off of two ships and is staffed by volunteers. They have visited 150 fifty countries, have docked in almost 500 harbors, and have helped millions of people gain access to books and information resources.
- Arlington Public Library, Virginia - has an American Girl doll collection that can be checked out along with their books. This is so cool! I know these dolls can be pretty expensive, so it’s nice that they are able to provide these dolls for the kids in their community to enjoy!
- The Camel Library, Pakistan - also funded by charity, this Camel Caravan travels around Pakistan delivering books to children in remote areas.
I Work at a Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories from the Stacks by Gina Sheridan
From a patron's missing wetsuit to the scent of crab cakes wafting through the stacks, Sheridan showcases the oddities that have come across her circulation desk: encounters with local eccentrics; bizarre reference requests; and heart-warming stories of patrons who roam the stacks every day.
The Meaning of the Library: A Cultural History by Alice Crawford
"Tracing what the library has meant since its beginning, examining how its significance has shifted, and pondering its importance in the twenty-first century, significant contributors--including the librarian of the Congress and the former executive director of the HathiTrust--present a cultural history of the library"--Dust jacket flap.
Librarian Tales: Funny, Strange, and Inspiring Dispatches from the Stacks by William Ottens
"Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly of librarian William Ottens's experience working behind service desks and in the stacks of public libraries, most recently at the Lawrence Public Library in Kansas. In Librarian Tales, published in cooperation with the American Library Association, readers will learn about strange things librarians have found in book drops, weird and obscure reference questions, the stress of tax season, phrases your local librarians never want to hear, stories unique to children's librarians, and more"
America's Library: The Story of the Library of Congress, 1800-2000 by James Conway
The Library of Congress, considered by many to be the greatest library on earth, holds over 110 million items―books in 450 languages, irreplaceable national documents, priceless art works, and objects of cultural fascination. From a modest collection of 740 books purchased by the Congress in 1800, the Library has grown to house hundreds of miles of bookshelves. Laid end to end, they would stretch from Washington, D.C., to Chicago. This book tells the continuously interesting story of the first two hundred years of the Library of Congress. It is a vast history, filled with an immense cast of characters ranging from presidents, poets, journalists, and congressmen to collectors, artists, curators, and eccentrics.
James Conaway centers this history around the thirteen men who have been appointed by presidents to lead the Library of Congress. The author investigates how the Librarians’ experiences and contributions, as well as the Library’s collections, have reflected political and intellectual developments in the United States. Each Librarian confronted great the entire Library collection was lost when the British burned the Capitol in 1814; in the 1940s, a backlog of one and a half million objects waited to be catalogued; the gigantic task of replacing the card catalogue with a computerized system was undertaken in the 1980s. Yet each Librarian also enjoyed the excitement of acquiring unique treasures―from Walt Whitman’s walking stick to the papers of the Wright brothers, from the Civil War photographs of Mathew Brady to the archives of Leonard Bernstein. This lively account of the Library of Congress and those who guided its progress over two centuries is the history of an American institution that today is truly a library to the world, serving readers and researchers everywhere. - Goodreads
The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer
To save precious centuries-old Arabic texts from Al Qaeda, a band of librarians in Timbuktu pulls off a brazen heist worthy of Oceans Eleven. In the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts that had fallen into obscurity. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu tells the incredible story of how Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist and historian from the legendary city of Timbuktu, later became one of the worlds greatest and most brazen smugglers. In 2012, thousands of Al Qaeda militants from northwest Africa seized control of most of Mali, including Timbuktu. They imposed Sharia law, chopped off the hands of accused thieves, stoned to death unmarried couples, and threatened to destroy the great manuscripts. As the militants tightened their control over Timbuktu, Haidara organized a dangerous operation to sneak all 350,000 volumes out of the city to the safety of southern Mali. Over the past twenty years, journalist Joshua Hammer visited Timbuktu numerous times and is uniquely qualified to tell the story of Haidaras heroic and ultimately successful effort to outwit Al Qaeda and preserve Malisand the worldsliterary patrimony. Hammer explores the citys manuscript heritage and offers never-before-reported details about the militants march into northwest Africa. But above all, The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu is an inspiring account of the victory of art and literature over extremism.