Library Week is an annual celebration to highlight the valuable roles that libraries, librarians and library workers play in enriching lives and strengthening communities.
This year, Library Week began April 7 and continues through April 13. The Library Center of the Ozarks (formerly the Taneyhills Library), marked the week with a variety of activities to remind the community that libraries are more than just books.
Library patrons come to the Library Center of the Ozarks to access free Wi-Fi, to utilize the facility's computers, or to attend an informative program. Others seek out a quiet place to study, or reserve one of the library's meeting rooms. Some library patrons are in need of business services such as printing, faxing and scanning, while others head to the library to do research.
Children enjoy the variety of games available in the library, and a wide variety of DVDs and audiobooks are available for check out. The Library Center of the Ozarks also has a large collection of books of all genres, for all ages and interests.
The Library Center of the Ozarks recently hosted a class, presented by the Master Gardeners of the Ozarks, detailing "Drip Irrigation for Beginners." Another Library Week Program, the latest in the Library's Banking Series, was entitled "How to Grow Your Business."
Two Library Week events were directed towards young people. Lego Mania provided creative building fun for youngsters ages three to six, and a Book Swap was held for children through the age of 13. Organized by the College of the Ozarks' Rotaract organization, the Book Swap allowed participants to bring in books that they have enjoyed to trade for some new-to-them reading material.
Miss Debi offered Story Time to area children who enjoyed a morning of singing, dancing, crafts and stories—a weekly occurrence at the Library Center of the Ozarks. The Library also provided glasses, free of charge, to patrons so adults and children could safely view Monday's solar eclipse.
The Library Staff and leadership also spent time finalizing plans for this summer's Summer Reading Program, in an effort to deliver to library patrons a summer event full of fun and excitement.
Many have shared their thoughts on libraries over the years.
"A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessities of life," said Henry Ward Beecher.
"Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life. Libraries change lives for the better," said Sidney Sheldon.
And, the brilliant Albert Einstein once said, "The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library."
The Library Center of the Ozarks is located at 200 South Fourth Street in downtown Branson. The Library is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.