Director’s Letter

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]

At the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, we don’t like to make a big deal about what we do. We love providing library services to the community and that’s what makes us happy. However, since we celebrated National Library Worker’s Day a few weeks ago, I want to take a moment to shine the spotlight on the incredible work performed by our library staff members. Our library system is something to be truly proud of. [Read more]

Dear Community, February always brings a very special library memory to the forefront of my mind. It feels like yesterday to me, but unbelievably, it was four years ago that we launched our “I Love Our Library” campaign on Valentine’s Day. You probably still see the yard signs around the County that proudly proclaim this or maybe still even have one in front of your house yourself! One of the initial activities we had [Read more]

Dear Community, Happy New Year! The start of a new year is always a time for reflection, both on what we have accomplished in the past year and what lies ahead in our work. Like other organizations, the Library experienced no shortage of change and challenges in 2021. I hope you feel that we exceled in being flexible and adaptable throughout the year while always keeping community needs as our top priority. It has [Read more]