Director’s Letter

Dear Community, I hope I am not the only one who feels like December just popped up out of nowhere! We must be having too much fun at the library—time is simply flying by. This month, I want to share my gratitude for your support. October and November were big months for the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, thanks to you. First, I’d like to thank everyone who voted in the November 2023 election. The [Read more]

Dear Community, It really has been a transformative and busy summer at the Library! First, I want to extend my gratitude for your patience as the Library transitioned to a new computer system. I hope you are enjoying the new online catalog, auto-renewals of your library materials as they come due, the ability to manage notifications, and a seamless experience in checking out downloadable items. Please know there are still enhancements and fixes that we are continuously working [Read more]

Dear Community, As you may have heard, the Library is in the process of upgrading to a new computer system. This system will roll out on June 20 — less than a month away! This means that you’ll see some changes in the library’s online catalog and start to hear about new and useful services we will offer. We have spent a lot of time working on getting the system to as close as [Read more]

Happy Spring and Happy National Library Week! National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities. This year, National Library Week takes place from April 23 to 29 and is being celebrated with the theme “There’s More to the Story.” This year’s theme is a reminder that libraries are about more than books! Libraries are welcoming spaces that bring [Read more]

After observing National Banned Book Week in September, and with recent headlines about the rise in book challenges across the country, it seems appropriate to talk a little more about the topic. The American Library Association (ALA) reports that between January 1 and August 31 of this year, there were 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources in the United States, targeting 1,651 unique titles. This is an unprecedented number. In 2021, there [Read more]

Dear Community, Welcome to our 31st season of Random Review! This month’s newsletter shines a spotlight on this long-standing and popular event series. I recall, with great clarity, one of the first events I took part in as the new CBCPL Library Director. It was the 25th Anniversary Random Review Celebration event, a Reader’s Theater, where I had the honor of reading from Kathleen Dean Moore’s Riverwalking, an apt and inspiring choice for someone new [Read more]