General News
We are excited to unveil our first monthly newsletter outlining news and events of the Library. Our plan is to publish a new issue at the beginning of each month, with photos of the previous month’s events along with upcoming events to mark on your calendar.
Click the link below to view this month’s newsletter.
The library will be holding its annual Used Book Sale from April 4-7 in the McAmis Room (main level) of the library.
The sale opens at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 7. It continues during regular library hours on Friday (10 a.m. – 6 p.m.) and Saturday (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
On Sunday, April 7 — the final day of the sale — any items left at the sale will be sold for $1 per brown bag full. We even provide the bag!
This year, we seem to have a wide and balanced selection of items ranging from adult fiction and non-fiction, young adult novels, children’s fiction and non-fiction, audiobooks, classic VHS tapes, and DVDs. Materials for the book sales consist of donations from the public, as well as books that are no longer needed in the library’s collection.
Proceeds from the book sale are returned to the library’s budget to purchase new materials for circulation in the library.
New books are starting to appear on the shelves at the Sikeston Public Library thanks to grant funds targeted at enhancing the library’s collection. In February, the library received a $2,500 Public Library Nonfiction Collection Development Support Grant.
(Click HERE for a listing of materials purchased with these grant funds.)
“This particular grant was more specific than collection development grants that we have received in the past,” said the library’s Director Ron Eifert, who is also serving as the project manager for the grant. “We are limited to purchasing only non-fiction materials, but we are purchasing materials for all age groups of library users.”
After discussion with library staff members and consideration of requests from patrons, Eifert focused the funds on four areas in the library’s non-fiction collection.
“The first materials that we chose are in support of our summer reading theme, ‘A Universe of Stories’,” Eifert said. “We have chosen many books about the history of space exploration to add to the collection.” With the observance of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing this summer, Eifert said that he expects interest to be high.
Another area to be developed is materials to support higher education and vocational education. Books with preparation materials for the ACT, HiSet, and nursing program entrance exam books have been purchased. “We are constantly asked for preparation materials for nurses seeking to further their educations,” Eifert said. “We will approximately double our offerings for nursing program exams.” In addition, the library is purchasing math review materials for people wishing to brush up on their math skills for college preparation or high school equivalency exams.
The third area to be developed is materials targeted to minority patrons. “We have selected several books about issues facing African-Americans and Hispanics in today’s world, especially as it relates to immigration and race relations, along with books about these groups’ history in the United States.”
The remainder of the grant will be spent to purchase general non-fiction materials for adults and children, biographies for adults and children, and math-related books for children.
Purchasing of materials began on March 1, and materials purchased under the grant are already beginning to arrive. Materials purchased under the grant will be highlighted in displays within the library.
The Public Library Collection Development Support Grant is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Missouri StateLibrary, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
The library will be closed this weekend, March 9-10. This was not an easy decision to make, but we will not have access to the Missouri Evergreen software, which affects just about everything we do!
Once the upgrade is complete, we will have a more powerful system to help you, and a system that will be more resistant to outages.
We apologize for any inconvenience. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
Beginning January 15, 2019, the library has begun taking photographs for passport applications. The library is charging $10 per photograph taken.
Applicants for new passports can visit the library and have the photograph taken and printed while the application is being processed.
Even though the library is not allowed to process passport renewals, we will be happy to take your photographs for you.
The library will be closed on Monday, January 21, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
THE APPLICATION WINDOW FOR THIS POSITION HAS CLOSED.
Now hiring! We are looking to fill a shelver position. Night and weekend hours; 14-18 hours per week. Job requires lifiting, knowledge of computers, and ability to provided customer service. Knowledge of Dewey Decimal System and library organization required. Apply in person at the library if you are interested. Applications accepted through Friday, January 18, with an anticipated start date of late January/early February.
Sikeston Public Library, as a member of Missouri Libraries 2 Go (a consortium of Missouri public libraries), has digitized the concept of physical reading rooms by creating a specialized eReadingRoom of Always Available ebooks and audiobooks within their digital collection. With a library card, users of Missouri Libraries 2 Go member libraries can browse digital books sectioned off from the rest of the catalog with all searches filtered and dedicated to available items. Readers can find this on https://molib2go.overdrive.com/and on Libby, the award-winning one-tap reading app from OverDrive.
Missouri Libraries 2 Go’s digital collection offers thousands of ebooks and audiobooks in a variety of genres for all ages. The eReading Room concept was born from the existence of physical spaces in libraries that are designed specifically for browsing. Since then, eReading Rooms have expanded to highlight materials with certain themes or formats and for select age levels. Within Libby, eReading Rooms are called “guides” while the library’s website refers to them as “collections”.
Readers may browse Missouri Libraries 2 Go’s digital collection, instantly borrow titles and start reading or listening for free with a valid library card. This service is compatible with all major computers and devices, including iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ devices, Windows® tablets, and Kindle® [US libraries]. All titles will automatically expire at the end of the lending period and there are no late fees. Readers can also download titles onto Libby for offline use.
To explore the group’s eReading rooms of ebooks and audiobooks,visit https://molib2go.overdrive.com/ or download Libby today from Apple, Android and Windows app stores.
Missouri Libraries 2 Go is a consortium of public libraries in Missouri with similar interests and users that work together with OverDrive to create a shared collection that meets the needs of their users. Founded in 2009, this consortium consists of public libraries in Missouri that serve a population of less than 100,000 users. The group is managed and facilitated by Amigos Library Services, a non-profit, 501c3 member-based organization, serving libraries and library related associations and organizations.
The library will be closed on Monday, December 24 and Tuesday, December 25 in observance of Christmas.
The library will also be closed on Monday, December 31 and Tuesday, January 1 in observance of New Year’s.
Library patrons have 24/7 access to the library’s digital collection by visiting molib2go.org, and access to manage library accounts at sikeston.missourievergreen.org. Visit us at the circulation desk to learn how to access these accounts with your library card number.
The library will be closed on Monday, September 3, in observance of Labor Day.
Sunday hours will resume on Sunday, September 9.