Director’s Letter

Dear Community, I’ve done several presentations in the last few years about banned books, censorship, and intellectual freedom. These topics remain more important than ever as we continue to see incredible numbers of censorships attempts across the country. The American Library Association and Banned Books Week Coalition organize an annual Banned Books Week, which takes place this year during October 5-11, 2025. The theme this year is “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your [Read more]

Dear Community, I hope you’ve been enjoying our Summer Reading events and activities over the past two months. There has certainly been no shortage of creative, fun, and unique programs this summer! That's the goal we work to achieve every summer, but this year we've had a little extra help that's new to us. Thanks to a Teen Internship Grant from the State Library of Oregon, two amazing teen interns are working at our [Read more]

Dear Community, The month of June marks the start of our Summer Reading program and Pride Month, meaning we have an absolutely jam-packed month of programming ready for you to enjoy. With 85+ events across our four locations and outreach across our communities, these programs will spark joy, encourage curiosity, or provide helpful support and resources across our county. In case you're wondering why the library puts so much work into our summer reading [Read more]

Dear Community, The month of May brings along sunnier days and beautiful flowers, but it also means budget season! While many public libraries across the nation and in Oregon are facing cuts, the library’s proposed budget for FY25-27 remains stable thanks to proactive planning and dedicated revenue sources such as the local option levy and the Benton County Library Services District. While the increasing costs of doing business mean that a flat budget is [Read more]

Dear Community, April is always one of my favorite months. It brings along the lovely days of spring, and also National Library Week, which takes place April 6-12 this year. The week helps us highlight the valuable role that libraries and everyday library workers play in strengthening our communities and transforming lives. Unfortunately, this is also an uncertain time for libraries. As you may know, a White House Executive Order was issued on March [Read more]

Dear Community, Since March is Women’s History Month, I thought it would be an appropriate time to share the origin story of the Corvallis Public Library. In 1883, the Corvallis Coffee Club was formed by Mrs. Rose J. Wilson, who saw a need to serve coffee and sandwiches to firefighters on duty. She invited eight other women to join her: Mrs. L. H. Additon, Mrs. M. A. Atwood, Miss Kate Carlile, Mrs. James Cauthorn, [Read more]