Area News

County Library Celebrates 25 Years as a Rural Treasure 

By: Virginia Ross

The Henderson County Library will celebrate its 25th Anniversary on June 6, from 1-3.  Mark your calendar to attend and discover what a blessing the library is for such a rural county. 

So many programs, an information source, and of course, lots of books, but do you realize how lucky we were to receive state funding 25 years ago?  

It was last year of major grants were offered and the current Librarian, Carolyn Fry, made sure each page was absolutely correctly filled out.

That day at the State Capitol was nerve wracking as so many bigger libraries were in contention.  In fact, some members of the committee probably didn’t even know where Henderson County was located, but such a stellar application won the day!

Then the search for an Architect and a State Advisor was hard.  We looked at several building plans from one that looked like a barn to another with columns and fancy marble.  

Two young men from Peoria were finally selected and the process commenced.  The location was selected as it is in the center of the county thereby accessible from both north and south.  Again, I must credit Donald and Carolyn Fry who were more or less unpaid project managers.  More than half way through our State Advisor suddenly died and a search for a new one commenced.

This is just briefly some of the hurdles in building a library and today, it is one my proudest accomplishments to have been on the board when this was happening.  

Everybody wants to leave a legacy and this is truly is mine as a library is so many things and brings people together. 

Programs such as a bookmobile (did you know we were the first county wide library to run one) and still today it visits schools, churches, nursing homes as well as private citizens?  A 4H Stem program challenges youth to be creative, Storytime on Tuesday offer a special place for mothers and children, book clubs and Read Squared offer a chance to share ideas, 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenges parents and small children to learn, truckers love the books on CD or the ability now to listen to audio books, a family/county history room offers a chance to discover your Roots, large print books are the favorite of senior citizens, Summer Reading (this year’s theme-Reading on Island Time is sure to be fun so sign up your children and grandchildren), Fancy Nancy Tea, gingerbread house decorating at Christmas time, a place for old pictures of high school graduates,  and the list goes on and on.  

Something you probably don’t realize is that with Interlibrary loan you may request books at no cost. (Here in Nebraska where I now live charge $5.00 per book.) A library is so many things and I cannot begin to cover all.

25 years-celebrate gloriously as you have a treasure right here in this county.  If you don’t have a library card, please go get one!  Worlds are waiting for you to visit either through books or Hoopla and Libby on the Web.  Join the adventure.