MoLib2Go adds option for easier browsing

Borrow eBooks and audiobooks through OverDrive

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.

Holiday hours at the library

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

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.

Passport Fair to be held on Sept. 9

Do you have international travel plans and need a passport? Are you concerned with flying domestically with a Missouri ID after October 18? We are here to help!

The Sikeston Public Library will be hosting a passport fair from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, September 9 in the McAmis Room (main level) of the library. Passport agents will be on hand to execute new passport applications and to answer questions related to passports.

Prior to attending the passport fair, applicants need to have on hand a current, state-issued photo ID, a certified birth certificate (with a raised seal), and passport photos (available at Walgreens, CVS or Wal-Mart). Blank applications will be available at the passport fair, but applicants can pick them up in advance at the library circulation desk or by accessing the application at travel.state.gov.

Passport fees to the State Department must be paid by check or money order, and fees will vary depending on the age of the applicant and the type of passport requested. Execution fees can be paid by check, money order, or cash to the library, and are $35.00 per application.

Please call the library at 471-4140 for additional information.

Board members end terms with 20 years combined service

At its June meeting, the Board of Trustees of the Sikeston Public Library recognized three of its members as their terms as trustees expired. 

Lew Polivick (left) served six years on the board, serving the past two years as president. Carolyn Tetley (center) also served six years on the board, including the past four years as treasurer. Dr. Larry Bohannon (right) served eight years on the board, including the past two years as vice president.  Between the three, they have served 20 years as trustees, guiding the library through day-to-day operations as well as the remodeling of the lower level of the library. 

The terms of three trustees end on June 30. We appreciate their service to the library!

Library marks one year of passport acceptance

During the month of April, the Sikeston Public Library marked its one-year anniversary as a passport acceptance facility.

 

“The response has been amazing,” said Ron Eifert, library director and one of the passport acceptance agents, “so much more than we ever expected.”

 

The initial idea to become a passport acceptance facility came from a neighboring library which had achieved great success with the service.  After three months of training and testing during the first three months of 2017, the library was certified as a passport acceptance facility and processed its first passport in late April 2017.

 

Since its certification, the library has processed almost 200 applications for passports over the past 12 months.

 

When the library first started processing passports, the staff saw it as a service for the Sikeston community. They quickly realized that the appeal was much wider. “We have processed passports for residents of five or six surrounding counties,” Eifert said.  “So many people from around the area work in Sikeston, or attend school here, and they find it easier to complete the application process here than anywhere else.”

 

“It’s been interesting, listening to the stories people tell about the travel plans,” Eifert said. “We have helped people prepare for mission trips and family trips. It’s been fun to help people apply for a passport so that they can go on a trip that was a gift or a prize.”

 

Libraries have begun the transition from books-only facilities, to facilities where programming and other services are available. “Passport acceptance is part of our efforts to keep the library vital to the people in our community,” Eifert said. “It has been satisfying for us to know that we have helped people with this service, and to hear them say that the process was a lot less difficult than they expected.”

 

There are two passport acceptance agents at the library, and the service is available for 33 hours each week. Acceptance times are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 10 am-noon and 1-5 pm; Tuesday, 10 am-noon and 1-7:30 pm; and Friday, 10 am-noon and 1-5:30 pm. The library usually has one weekend a month where a passport acceptance agent is available. Additional hours are available by appointment.

 

For more information about the passport acceptance process, please call the library at 471-4140, or visit the library’s website at sikeston.lib.mo.us. For application forms, information on documentation required, fees, and a wealth of other passport and international travel information, visit the only official website for passport information at travel.state.gov.

Volunteers begin tax prep assistance on Feb. 1

The library is pleased to announce that tax preparation assistance will be available again this year at the library.

Volunteers from the AARP Tax-Aide program will be in the McAmis Community Room (main level) at the library from 12:30-4 p.m. on Thursdays, beginning on Thursday, February 1. They will assist taxpayers by filling out and filing simple tax returns. They will be filing both federal and state forms, including the Missouri PTC forms.

All tax filing will be done on a first-come, first-served basis; appointments will not be taken. Please be sure to bring all tax-related paperwork that you have received, including W-2 and 1099 forms for work performed, receipts for rent paid, and proof of Social Security income.

The library is not trained to give tax advice; instead, we rely on this great group of volunteers who have the training and experience to make sure that your tax filing is done correctly and thoroughly.

1 5 6 7 8