Author: Site Administrator

Fall Lecture Series Continues Tuesday Oct 3

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The Washington Public Library’s Fall Lecture Series takes place from Saturday, September 30 through Thursday, October 5.All Lectures take place @ Washington Public Library’s Meeting Room. This lecture series is sponsored by MO Humanities. Program Schedule Saturday September 30 Ria Unson: Filipinos at the 1904 World’s Fair: A Legacy of Race and Empire, 10:00 a.m. Cecilia Nadal: Then and Now: Conversations With an Enslaved Woman, 11:00 a.m. Tuesday October 3 Alex Primm: Oral History for Everyone, 6:00 p.m. Steve Wiegenstein: Missouri’s Utopian Communities, 7:00 p.m. Thursday, October 5 Loftin Woodiel: William C. Quantrill, the Father of Post-Civil War Missouri Banditry, 6:00 p.m. Jeff Smith: Cemeteries and Memory: Confederate Monuments in Cemeteries, 7:00 p.m. Lecture Descriptions September 30th 10:00 AM Ria UnsonFilipinos at the 1904 World’s Fair: A legacy of Race and Empire One of the most popular attractions at the 1904 World’s Fair was the Philippine Exhibit, a 47-acre site that for nine months became home to over 1,000 people on display. Ria Unson, St. Louis-based Filipino American artist and researcher, traces the legacy of the fair as a descendant of one of those people. Learn about how the image of Filipinos constructed at the fair was a method used to gain support for American imperialism and to domesticate the immigrant workers of St. Louis. September 30th 11:00 AM Cecilia NadalThen and Now: Conversations With an Enslaved Woman History gives us the tools to analyze problems in the past so that there is a better understanding of the present and future. But what happens if someone from the past comes to us in the present to discuss where we are now! Caroline is a former enslaved woman (played by Cecilia Nadal) who comes to us in the present using the wisdom of her past. She readily engages in conversation that probes the “whys” and “why nots” of our relationships with each other then and now. She comes to learn, share her experiences not as an object of history but as a woman wanting to see unity in the world by sharing one on one in a humanistic way. THEN AND NOW: CONVERSATIONS WITH A SLAVE uses history and performance art to create a relationship between the former slave and audience members as observers and participants. Caroline will share her personal story and guide the conversation. Audience members will be invited to have a one-to-one conversation without interruption with Caroline in front of the audience. The questions are whatever the audience member desires based on history and/or the “here and now.”  October 3rd 6:00 PM Alex PrimmOral History for Everyone Drop modern Greece into the middle of America. That’s roughly the size of the Ozarks: 50,000 square miles. But the Ozarks has one-tenth the number of residents. I’ve spent 40 years working as an oral historian traveling from Sallisaw, Oklahoma, to Saint Louis; Little Rock to Columbia and many towns in between. Here are my most inspiring stories. I want to share people I cannot forget. I hope to encourage others to

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Statement on 15 CSR 30-200.015 Library Certification Requirement for the Protection of minors

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Effective August 1, 2023, all Missouri public libraries must comply with 15 CSR 30-200.015 Library Certification Requirement for the Protection of Minors to qualify for state aid funding. The rule was introduced by Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, whose office oversees the Missouri State Library. Section C of the rule states: “The library has or will adopt a written, publicly accessible policy allowing a minor’s parent or guardian to determine what materials and access will be available to that minor, and no person employed by or acting on behalf of the library shall knowingly grant access to a minor to any material in any form not approved by that minor’s parent or guardian;” To maintain compliance, Washington Public Library has expired the library cards of all minors (anyone age 17 or lower) on July 31. This was done in coordination with Scenic Regional Library. To renew a minor’s library card, a parent (or legal guardian) must accompany their minor to Washington Public Library or any branch of Scenic Regional Library. The new consent language acknowledges that the parent (or legal guardian) understands that the library cannot control or monitor a minor’s access to the library’s collections, including the Internet. A parent (or legal guardian) who is uncomfortable being solely responsible for monitoring what their minor accesses at the library (including online) are advised to not renew their minor’s library card. We apologize for any inconvenience that this new state rule may create. Thank you,Nelson Appell, DirectorWashington Public Library

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The Book of Charlie – wisdom from the remarkable American life of a 109-year-old man

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David Von Drehle will discuss and sign his book, “The Book of Charlie,” wisdom from the remarkable American life of a 109-year-old man. When a veteran Washington journalist moved to Kansas, he met a new neighbor who was more than a century old. Little did he know that he was beginning a long friendship—and a profound lesson in the meaning of life. Sponsored by The Friends of the Library and Neighborhood Reads. Adult

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Construction Update

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The Library upstairs is open. The YA Section, study rooms, adult books, DVD’s, magazines and bathrooms are open. Please use the main entrance and the elevator. All Holds are located at the upstairs circulation desk. The children’s section, meeting room, and hallways are closed through the first week of May. You may place holds for materials. Staff can assist you when it is safe to do so. Thank you for your patience.

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