Library of the Year

The Springfield-Greene Library District has been named the 2016 Library of the Year by the Missouri Library Association. The MLA will feature the Library at an awards reception during the 2016 MLA conference in early October in Springfield.

Executive Director Regina Cooper credits Library staff for the honor, and also notes the hours worked by volunteers. “Our staff is doing great things every day to serve the community,” she said. “And we know that all of our wonderful library volunteers help make this award possible. Whether they are raising funds, helping out in children’s programming or doing the myriad of daily tasks that help us to keep the Library going, they are an extremely valuable part of our Library district.”

The Library was nominated for a multitude of strengths, including empowering library staff to develop and implement projects to improve early literacy, health and social well-being of children and individuals in underserved or low-income neighborhoods and homes; developing partnerships with non-traditional organizations; and remaining fiscally responsible and making use of grants and gifts to introduce new services for patrons that other libraries can model.

 “Our Springfield-Greene County Library leaders are proactive, involved and responsive to the needs of our citizens. They’re not ‘the library,’ they’re our partners.”

—Springfield City Manager Greg Burris in a letter of support to the MLA.

Look Who’s Talking

An audience of more than 100 people enjoyed hearty helpings of information in bite-sized lectures at the inaugural Look Who’s Talking!, a community dialogue featuring innovative and engaging speakers from the Ozarks. The event, held on July 19 in the Library auditorium, featured eight-minute talks by seven presenters covering topics like business, personal growth, cutting-edge technology, and the writing life. Afterward, people lingered to talk to each other and the presenters, an indication of a successful event, Library Center Manager Jessie East said.

The Library recorded each of the seven talks and they will be posted on the Library’s YouTube account, SpringfieldGreene. The success of the program has inspired Jessie to schedule another Look Who’s Talking! event in the winter.

New Trustee Joins Library Board

Katie Moore, an attorney with the Baird, Lightner, Millsap firm, joined the Library Board of Trustees at the Tuesday, July 19, board meeting. Katie was the 2015 president of the Junior League of Springfield, she’s active in community projects and a wife and mother. Katie was nominated for the board by the Greene County Commission, and her first term expires in 2019.

New board officers for 2016-2017 were also elected at the July meeting. They are Andrea McKinney, president; Michele Risdal-Barnes, vice president; William Garvin, secretary; and Matthew Simpson, treasurer.

Zone 1 Blitz

The Library is partnering with the City of Springfield and other community agencies and organizations to focus on issues of poverty in Zone 1, the northwest quadrant of the city. The area is served by the Library Station and other library resources. Library officials attended a meeting on Monday, July 11, with all the neighborhood associations and partners to roll out an 18-month plan with project that address housing, food access, health care, job and more. The Library will play a key role in the digital divide in Zone 1. Plans are to expand the availability of Library hot spots to Zone 1 patrons as well as increase Edge training opportunities.

August Programs and Events:

You Say Tomato, I Say … Caprese Salad
Late summer is prime tomato harvesting month, and some varieties have fruit that ripen all at once. Are you ready? The Library has three tomato-centric programs in August to help you:

• If you’d like to save your tomato seeds for next year’s planting, attend “Super Easy Seed Saving” from 1–2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13 at the Midtown Carnegie Branch Library. Patrick Byers, horticulture specialist for the University of Missouri Extension, will show you how to save seeds from tomatoes, lettuce, beans, peas and more.
• What to do with all of those tomatoes? Eat ‘em! (Don’t just leave them in boxes on your neighbor’s doorstep in the middle of the night, along with a dozen zucchini.) Learn delicious and easy Mediterranean recipes for tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, zucchini and other classics at “Cooking from the Garden: Mediterranean Summer Cooking” from 1–3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, at the Midtown Carnegie Branch Library led by Chadwick Isom, a certified executive chef and board member of Springfield Community Gardens. Registration begins Aug. 16; call 862-0135.
• Celebrate the tomato! The Library Station is holding “Tomato Fest” from 2–4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27. There will be seed swapping, live music, refreshments, crafts, displays and more. Call 865-1340 for more information.

Music to Your Ears
The Library Center will host a musical mid-August weekend, welcoming singer/songwriters Cindy Woolf and Mark Bilyeu from 4:30–6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13 in the auditorium. Cindy and Mark are The Creek Rocks, an Ozarks old-time/folk duo. Their concert is part of the AARP Passport to an Active Summer, a collaboration with the Library and the Springfield-Greene County Park Board. Space is limited, so registration is required. Call AARP at 1-877-926-8300 or email aarp.cvent.com/thecreekrocks.
The Sac River Bluegrass Band will perform at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 14 in the auditorium as part of the Sunday Concert Series sponsored by Friends of the Library.

Science Saturdays: Take a voyage through the cosmos at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13 as Fair Grove Branch Library presents “Hubble,” rated G, a documentary about our planet and its universe as seen through the eyes of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The film was produced as part of the 20-year anniversary of the telescope and includes computer generated imagery using data and images gathered by the Hubble that allow viewers to soar through objects like the Orion and Eagle nebulae, past stars and into embryonic solar systems. Fasten your seatbelts.

LibraryCon: It’s a day to celebrate fandom and geekiness at the Library’s second annual LibraryCon. Games, geeky storytime, special guests and more are scheduled 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27 at the Library Center. The day includes panels such as What Geeks Should Read Next, What’s New in Fantasy, Science Fiction and Comics, and Graphic Novels and Comics. A Teen Cosplay Fashion Show is also featured, as well as a “Trekkie” discussion about the importance of “Star Trek,” in honor of the show’s 50th anniversary.

Do the words comic-con, geek, fandom, graphic novel, and cosplay have you CONfused? You’re not alone! Comic Cons (comic book conventions) have been around since the 1970s, the largest of which is Comic-Con International in San Diego. Comic Cons feature comic books, people (both attendees and professionals hired for the event) dressed up as their favorite comic book character or superhero, the chance to meet comic book illustrators, and sometimes cosplay (literally “costume play”): people dressed up and pretending to be their favorite fictional character, usually from a comic book or the genres of science fiction, fantasy or anime. Fandom refers to the community of fans of a particular series. Graphic novels are books with a storyline (fiction or non-fiction) told through art and text, usually in a comic book form. And geeks? Currently, it’s an endearing term to describe enthusiasts of comics, TV or movies. 

On the Radar/Save the Date/Mark Your Calendar

Rock the Vote with the Library: Celebrate our great democracy Sept. 9–10 during Rock the Vote events at the Library Center, including concerts by Nova Heat and Geezer. Visit the branch Aug. 8–Sept. 4 to see the traveling exhibit, "Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America." 
 
Music & Lyrics Workshop: Are you an aspiring songwriter or musician? Join us on Saturday, Sept. 24, for a Music & Lyrics Workshop at the Library Center, featuring guest presenter Tom Sharpe, drummer for Grammy Award winner Mannheim Steamroller. Tickets for this Library Foundation-sponsored event are $75. Call the Library Foundation office at 616-0586 for more information.
 
Death & Dying: Let’s put aside the taboo of talking about death. Join the Library and community partners for Death & Dying: Conversations on End-of-Life Matters, Oct. 11–Nov. 3. The series will include presentations with area experts along with special events featuring nationally known authors Dr. Angelo Volandes, Caitlin Doughty, Thomas Lynch and Roz Chast.
 
Genealogy Symposium: Learn tips for digging into your family history from the Library’s Local History and Genealogy Department staff during this daylong event. Topics include the basics of genealogy, tracking an ancestor’s involvement in the Civil War, preserving a history collection, and best practices for gathering, sharing and archiving personal histories. It all happens from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, in the Library Center auditorium.
 
Fall Book Sale: It wouldn’t be autumn in the Ozarks without the Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale. This year, the sale is scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday, Oct. 26–30, with a Friends Night Preview Sale on from 5–8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25.  The event takes place at the E*Plex at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. Proceeds benefit the 10 Library branches, programs and the Mobile Library, which was purchased by the Friends in spring 2011.

MLA Conference: The Missouri Library Association will hold its annual conference in Springfield this year, welcoming hundreds of librarians and support staff form public and academic libraries across the state. Attendees can network with each other and learn about innovative projects and new technology and equipment. The conference is Oct. 5–7 at the Ramada Plaza Springfield Hotel and Oasis Convention Center. 

Bookends: The fall issue of Bookends will be available in mid-August with information about events and programs scheduled at all 10 of the Library branches September through November 2016. Or, visit thelibrary.org/programs.