St. Charles City-County Library Explained

St. Charles City-County Library
Type:Public law library
Established:August 1, 1973
Location:77 Boone Hills Dr, St. Peters, Missouri
Coordinates:38.7842°N -90.6°W
Num Branches:11
Budget:$21 million (FY 2023)
Director:Jason Kuhl
Parent Organisation:-->

The St. Charles City-County Library is made up of eleven library branches located throughout St. Charles County in east-central Missouri (United States of America). These libraries serve the residents of St. Charles County, and branches host nearly two million visitors per year.[1]

The Library was established on August 1, 1973, when the Kathryn Linnemann Library of St. Charles merged with the St. Charles County Library District. It is governed by a board of trustees, and funded primarily through property taxes.[2]

Branches

Branch NameBranch TypeBranch Location
Kathryn Linnemann (KL)regional2323 Elm Street, St. Charles 63301
Middendorf-Kredell (MK)regional2750 Highway K, O'Fallon 63368
Spencer Road (SP)regional427 Spencer Road, St. Peters 63376
Corporate Parkway (CP)general purpose1200 Corporate Parkway, Wentzville 63385
Deer Run (DR)general purpose1300 North Main, O’Fallon 63366
Kisker Road (KR)general purpose1000 Kisker Road, St. Charles 63304
McClay Branch (MY)general purpose2760 McClay Road, St. Charles 63303
Cliff View Branch (CV)general purpose10 Cliff View Drive, Wentzville 63385
Library Express at WingHaven (WH)express7435 Village Center Drive, O’Fallon 63368
Augusta Branch (AG)community198 Jackson Street, Augusta 63332
Boone's Trail Branch (BT)community10 Fiddlecreek Plaza, New Melle 63365
In 2024, library administration proposed a plan to close three branches to pay for e-book lending and raise staff wages, which are below market rate.[3] Following public outcry, the board voted unanimously against the plan.[4]

Collections

The St. Charles City-County Library circulates over 5.5 million items per year. Its branches loan books, music, magazines, movies, audiobooks, video games, and alternative materials. Some of the library's more unusual items for check-out include cake pans, fitness kits, kitchen equipment, talking books for children, book discussion kits, and telescopes. The library also offers electronic books, magazines, music, audiobooks and a wide variety of research resources that can be downloaded or streamed from an internet-connected device in a customer's home.[5]

Services

In addition to library materials, the St. Charles City-County Library provides events and classes for the community. Customers can attend book discussion groups, children's story times, teen events, crafting classes, author visits, technology training, themed events, game nights, concerts, and participate in a summer reading program for all ages. The combined eleven branches offer over 6,000 different events each year.[6]

The St. Charles City-County Library also offers outreach services to those in the community that may not be able to access its branches. Library staff provide programming and library materials to nursing homes, retirement communities, schools, day care centers, the homebound, and the incarcerated.

Customers can access gathering places for community groups, business meetings, recreational groups, and informal gatherings. Most branches offer rooms for reserve and all branches have public computers and study spaces.[7]

In 2022, the Library launched a bookmobile to extend services across the county. The original plan included three schools as service points, however they were cancelled due to uncertainties around Jay Ashcroft's newly implemented book ban law.[8] [9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: St.Charles City-County Library. mylibrary. 13 August 2019.
  2. Web site: St. Charles City-County Library. youranswerplace. 18 July 2018.
  3. Web site: Krall . Annie . 2024-05-17 . Branches of the St. Charles City-County Library possibly closing this summer . 2024-06-27 . KSDK . en-US.
  4. Web site: Brennecke . Lauren . 2024-06-26 . Despite St. Charles libraries staying open, residents remain worried for the future . 2024-06-27 . STLPR . en.
  5. Web site: Web Catalog. youranswerplace. 18 July 2018.
  6. Web site: 2017 Annual Report. 18 July 2018.
  7. Web site: Reserve a Meeting Room. youranswerplace. 18 July 2018.
  8. News: Mechling . Lauren . 2022-09-20 . ‘We’ve moved backwards’: US librarians face unprecedented attacks amid rightwing book bans . 2024-06-27 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  9. Web site: Cunningham . Meg . 2023-04-21 . Missouri libraries dodge GOP funding strike — for now . 2024-06-27 . Beacon: Kansas City . en-US.