Library seeking donations for two community drives

To help local families have happier holidays, the library is asking for public donations to two community drives.

Toys for Tots collection boxes are now set up at the Belt Branch and the Savannah Branch until Nov. 30.

Donations must be new, unwrapped toys and in the $5 to $15 range. More expensive gifts, such as video games, are discouraged so more people can afford to donate and more toys are available to give children, according to Don Crigger, the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots coordinator for Andrew and Buchanan counties.

The toys that are donated in the two counties will be passed on to charitable organizations that distribute Christmas presents in those counties.

In November, the library is seeking donations to provide families with baby supplies, hygiene items and cleaning supplies. The items collected between Nov. 1-30 will be given to the Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division Northwest Region Prevention Team to provide to families in need.

Items sought for babies include diapers and pull-ups, wipes, baby bottles, pacifiers, sippy cups, shampoo, lotion, thermometers, diaper rash cream and clothing including toddler sizes.

Home and hygiene items needed are laundry detergent, home cleaning products, trash bags, cleaning rags, hand and dish soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste and mouthwash, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner and body wash.

All items donated will go directly to support children and families working with the Children’s Division.

Blitz-style chess tournament set for Halloween night

Based on the success of our first-ever chess tournament back in June, the library is having a second U.S. Chess Federation-rated event on Thursday, Oct. 31 -- but players will need to be quick thinkers for this one.

The Frightful Fast Chess Frenzy that begins at 6 p.m. at the Belt Branch, is a blitz-style tournament with a double round-robin quad setting. Participants will be placed in groups of four or less and will play each other in two games per round. Players will have 5 minutes on their clocks.

“I've been hoping to add one or two more tournaments throughout the year after our first tournament went so well,” tournament director Bridged Reeves said. “No library events were planned for Halloween night, so I thought it would give area chess players something to do if they weren’t going trick-or-treating.”

In line with this FREE event being held on Halloween, spooky trophies will be awarded.

More information and registration is available at rhcl.org/website/event/11466278. Games start at 6 p.m., so players should show up early to find their tables.

Belt Branch to have local history, pop culture events in October

Local architectural history, fossils, local ghosts and ghost stories are the topic of four programs this fall at the Belt Branch.

Edmond Jacques Eckel, one of St. Joseph’s most prolific architects, will be the topic of a history program at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, by Shelly Haynes from St. Joseph Museums.

Eckel was born in France in 1845 and studied architecture as a young man. He came to the United States in 1868 and in 1869 was traveling to Kansas City. When his train was delayed in St. Joseph due to a washed-out bridge, he explored the town and decided to stay because of the town’s post-Civil War economic boom. He began working as a draftsman and would design many of the mansions of that era, including the Wyeth-Tootle Mansion.

Eckel went on to form his own architectural firm and had many partnerships through the years. It’s estimated he or his firms are responsible for 75% of the public and private buildings of that era in St. Joseph.

At 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, Missouri Western professors Dr. Evan Hart and Dr. Ed Taylor will discuss their podcast, which explores “the spooky, the haunted and the occasionally laughable world of the paranormal and supernatural.” This program for adults and teens is presented in partnership with Missouri Western’s Pop Culture Club.

In celebration of National Fossil Day on Wednesday, Oct. 16, retired Northwest Missouri State geology professor Dr. John Pope will discuss fossils and our region’s natural history in a program at 7 p.m. If you have fossils you’d like to know more about, bring them along so Dr. Pope can evaluate them.

Just in time for Halloween, Missouri Western professor Dr. Michael Charlton will discuss the books and career of the “King of Horror,” author Stephen King at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24. King has published more than 60 horror, mystery, suspense, crime, science fiction and fantasy novels, 12 collections of shorter stories and five non-fiction books, not to mention screenplays and essays. This program is presented in partnership with Missouri Western’s Pop Culture Club.

Banned Stand

By Michelle Mears, Rolling Hills Library Director

If you want to know the power of literacy and reading, just look at how hard some people work at stopping someone from reading a book.

Our region is just now experiencing the book banning trend that has been cresting in other communities across Missouri and across the nation. The problem lies with singling out individual works for removal from public access so that no one can read them, based on the opinion of a minority of community members and the reasons they cite for wanting a book banned.

The freedom to read is closely tied to the freedom of speech, one of the freedoms we hold most dear in our democracy. If schools or libraries (“the government”) were to decide what speech was allowed or not allowed, they would be in violation of the Constitution. There are some limits to the freedom of speech, and this is where book banners tend to operate. They read salacious passages taken out of context and label the entire work as obscene. Or they think the topic is too mature for certain readers. Or they wish to shield children from what they think are radical world views. The instincts to want to keep children safe are not what we object to, but the blanket nature of book challenges that make assumptions about the value of a work as seen only through the eyes of rejection.

School libraries often get more book challenges than public libraries because they have a captive audience and there is this impression that every child is in contact with all the books in a school library. (Don’t we wish!) Just like the public library, school libraries work hard to connect kids with books and to develop a collection that will support the curriculum and allow for reading for pleasure. However, schools have a responsibility to protect children in ways that public libraries do not, so book banners don’t think anything controversial should be in schools.

The problem is many of these books speak to the real-life experiences of young people: They are being raised by two daddies or know someone who is. They have a big sister, or cousin, or aunt who got pregnant before they finished high school. They see violence on television and in the videos they watch on their mobile devices. 

While none of us in the library community want to spend our careers dealing with book banning on a regular basis, it’s actually a good sign when we see so many community voices rise up in opposition to censorship. It means we aren’t alone in the fight for the freedom to read. Ultimately, it is parents who should decide what their children are allowed to access. We believe that everyone should be able to read stories they can relate to, so we stand with the banned.

Belt Branch event will be a discussion on the late jazz critic Stanley Crouch

“A good number of our myths are as porous as Swiss cheese, but there is no more deservedly mythic city in the jazz story than Kansas City, Missouri.” – Stanley Crouch

The late author, columnist, social critic and jazz champion Stanley Crouch will be the subject of a talk at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, in the Belt Branch Upper Story, 1906A N. Belt Hwy.

St. Joseph-native and Central High School alum Glenn Mott, who is a Brooklyn-based editor, journalist and poet, and Books Revisited manager Hans Bremer will discuss Crouch’s writing and contributions to the jazz world.

Crouch, who passed away in 2020, was the author of eight books, including five collections of essays (two of which were nominated for National Book Critics Circle Awards), a novel and the acclaimed biography Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker.

In 1987, Crouch co-founded then served as artistic consultant for jazz programming at the Lincoln Center in New York City and was founder of Jazz at Lincoln Center, often writing notes and essays for concert programs.

He was a biweekly columnist for the New York Daily News from 1995 to 2014, writing about culture, politics and race, and authored hundreds of magazine articles, essays, album liner notes and reviews on jazz that influenced the genre. For his work as a jazz historian and critic, the National Endowment for the Arts named him a Jazz Master in 2019.

“Stanley believed our democratic lives are apparent in the making of jazz: The creation of jazz (specifically improvisation) is an American art form that memorializes the amendment process in the human condition,” Mott said. “Stanley was always authentic, someone who provoked with insight, rather than one who assembled consensus. He didn't want to persuade you as much as provoke thought.”

Mott edited Crouch’s American Perspectives columns for more than a decade after bringing him on as a syndicated columnist at Hearst. After Crouch’s passing, he edited the book Victory is Assured: Uncollected Writings of Stanley Crouch, which was published in 2022. Copies of the book will be for sale at the event.

Mott has been the recipient of a Davis Fellowship for Peace and was a Fulbright Scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He has authored two books of poetry and essays, Eclogues in a Mustard Seed Garden and Analects on a Chinese Screen.

Your move! Sign up for library's first chess tournament

Rolling Hills Library will launch its first-ever chess tournament on Saturday, June 8, featuring a U.S. Chess Federation-rated section and an open section for all ages and skill levels who are not USCF members.

The first of four rounds, Swiss style, of this free tournament begin at 10 a.m. in the Belt Branch Upper Story, 1906A N. Belt. Doors will open at 9 a.m. for players to register if they have not done so already at events.rhcl.org/event/10041386. USCF memberships can be purchased on site if needed.

Awards will be handed out at 5 p.m. and consist of first, second and third place medals for each section with an additional prize for first place in each section.

Bridgid Reeves, the library’s technology services librarian, is planning for the tournament to be an annual event. She began thinking about having a tournament after taking over the library’s Chess and Checkers Club in 2017.

The club had a core group of dedicated members who gathered to talk chess and play games, she said. When the pandemic hit in 2021 and forced the library to suspend public programs and events, participation declined and thoughts of a tournament were shelved.

Now a few years after the pandemic’s high point, participation in the chess club has grown, and Reeves is planning on making the tournament an annual event.

“Chess teaches you how to focus and think creatively,” she said. “It helps to develop problem solving skills and how to think calmly and carefully and consider the consequences of your actions. And it brings people together and fosters a sense of community and even cooperation.

“It seemed to me that sharing this hobby, or sport depending on who you ask, would be a great addition to the community as a whole.”

Our planned new library will be located at ...

After more than a year of searching for the right site to build a new library to replace the Belt Branch, Rolling Hills Library has a contract under review and work has started on building plans. If all goes well, the new branch could be open by early 2026.

The site is in the new development where the University of Missouri-Kansas City also plans to build a School of Medicine facility at the east end of Faraon Street, across from Mosaic Life Care. 

Library Director Michelle Mears said the library was seeking a piece of ground that was accessible, affordable and relatively flat to minimize site preparation costs. The location also had to be in the library’s taxing district.

“It took us quite a while to find this piece of land,” she said. “It drew our attention because of other development in that area.”

The four-acre lot will be at the end of a new road to be built south of Faraon into the development. The building will be located near the east side of the lot so it will be visible from Riverside Road.

The project calls for a 36,000-square-foot building that houses the library, Bookmobile office and garage, Administration Office and the Friends of the Library’s used bookstore, Books Revisited. The estimated building project cost is $16 million.

“We have over half of that amount in reserves and will issue certificates of participation to fund the remaining amount,” Mears said.

Sapp Design Architects of Kansas City is the project architect and was chosen for its experience with libraries. The firm has designed more than 25 new libraries and library renovations in Missouri and Kansas, with the majority of those in the Kansas City area.

J.E. Dunn Construction of Kansas City is the construction-manager-at-risk. It will work with Sapp through the design process to create the best plans and build the library at a guaranteed maximum price. The contract with Dunn includes a goal for local contractors to be used for at least 40 percent of the project.

After the new library is built, the library-owned Rolling Hills Plaza strip mall where the Belt Branch, Administration Offices and Books Revisited are currently located will be sold. “It should be an attractive investment for someone who wants to own retail space,” Mears said.

More information about the new library project is available at https://rhcl.org/building-project. 

Programs to shine light on Shakespeare Chateau, Missouri Theater

 Two of St. Joseph’s historic jewels will be the subjects of two upcoming programs at the Belt Branch.

 At 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, Isobel McGowan, owner/innkeeper of the Shakespeare Chateau Bed and Breakfast, will share her story of preserving the iconic house. McGowan bought the house in 2012 and restored it to its original glory. Now the non-profit organization Shakespeare Chateau Guild is working to raise $5 million to purchase it and its adjoining property to secure its future.

 At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, Frank Polleck will speak about the history of the Missouri Theater, where he has worked behind the scenes for more than 40 years. Designed by theater architects Boller Brothers of Kansas City, the building was completed in 1927 and has Art Deco and Moorish details.

 Both programs will be in the library’s Community Room and are open to the public.

Voters will have chance April 2 to lower library tax levy

Voters will have chance April 2 to lower library tax levy

On Tuesday, April 2, Rolling Hills Library will ask voters in Andrew County and parts of Buchanan County to “right-size” its tax levy by reducing the overall amount by 3 cents and ending the 20-year sunset on one half of the overall levy. The library passed a renewal of the sunset portion of the levy in August 2019 with 80% voter approval.

The library now wants to lower the total levy because it has found it can continue providing a growing collection, educational programs and modern resources for its users at the lower amount.

“We are not asking for an increase, only to combine our operating levies into one and decrease the total from 31 cents to 28 cents,” library Director Michelle Mears said.

The move also is an important step for building the library’s planned new St. Joseph location that would replace the Belt Branch, 1904 N. Belt. To fund the project, the library would use reserve funds for about half of the costs and issue construction bonds for the other half. But to issue bonds, the sunset needs to be removed to assure the bonds could be paid across a reasonable term and leave enough tax funds for annual operations.

“Without this change, it would be like a person buying a house on a 15-year mortgage instead of a 30-year note. That makes those payments kind of steep,” Mears said.

Mears also commented on the overall library budget: “Inflation has had an effect on library budgets, like everything else. In order for staff salaries and benefits to keep up with minimum wage and be comparable with local employers, the library needs stable funding. We can’t make long-term commitments or plans with sunset levies.”

The project to construct a new facility will proceed even if this levy vote fails, and the library board has the option to try again at a later election date. A shorter repayment term could lead to cutting the size of the project to have lower bond payments, which could mean if future building expansions are needed construction costs could be more expensive.

Wednesday, March 6, is the last day to register to vote in the April 2 election. Property owners within the Rolling Hills district do not pay taxes for St. Joseph Public Library, as property owners only pay a library tax for the districts where they own property.

For more information about the levy issue, visit rhcl.org/levy-info or call Michelle Mears at 816-205-7000.

2024 Adult Winter Reading Challenge

 It should be no surprise that the 2024 Adult Winter Reading Challenge for adults is called Game On! and has a board game theme. After all, we embrace games at the library.

Not only is the winter challenge played with a bingo card, the library offers bingo sessions for adults. Add on the Chess and Checkers Club, game nights for families, scavenger hunts for youths, puzzle races, board game days, escape rooms, a large collection of board games to check out and the biggest game of them all, the Summer Reading Program, and you’ll see that games are in our library DNA.

From Jan. 1-Feb. 29, ages 18 and older can win prizes by reading or listening to four books and tracking their books by using a bingo reading log or by using the online Beanstack app. 

If you read any four books, you will win a deck of playing cards or a puzzle book, a free book or a Books Revisited free book coupon, entry into grand prize drawings for a game-themed gift basket at each branch and an invite to the Belt or Savannah end-of-winter parties.

A reading bingo will earn you an additional box of candy or snack mix. Read all 16 bingo squares for a blackout and you’ll win a travel-size game.

Bingo categories include new author, award winner, biography, board game, historical, retelling, graphic novel, non-fiction, fantasy, mystery, new book, romance and any book.

“The Adult Winter Reading Challenge encourages you to read across different genres and outside your comfort zone and to try some things you might not have tried otherwise,” Belt manager Kelly Morris said.

Games are the theme of many library programs in January and February, including:

Chess and Checkers Club – 6 p.m. Thursdays, Jan. 4 & 18 and Feb. 1 & 15, Belt. Teens and adults can challenge each other to games and learn new strategies. All skill levels welcome.

Board (BORED?) Games Days – 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27, and Mondays, Jan. 8 & Feb. 19, Savannah. Drop in to play a variety of games for all ages.

Bingo for Adults – 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, Savannah. Bring a white elephant gift for the prize table.

Book Groups – The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer will be reviewed by the Belt’s evening group at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16. The Belt’s noon group on Wednesday, Jan. 17, will discuss The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis. Savannah’s 3rd Thursday Book Group members will read books related to games and then discuss them at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18.

Nailed It! – 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, Belt. Teams of 2-4 people will take on a two-part, quasi-culinary challenge: Create a fake food masterpiece then try to recreate an edible version of it. Open to all ages, but at least one adult is needed per team. Register at events.rhcl.org/event/9362377.

Puzzle Races – 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, Belt Upper Story, and 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, Savannah. Teams of three to four people (one must be an adult) will try to put together a 300-piece puzzle in the fastest time. Register for the Savannah race at events.rhcl.org/event/9438638. Register for the Belt race at events.rhcl.org/event/9362426.

Game Night at the Library – 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29, Belt. 7 Wonders is the featured board game for families, or you can play other board games or bring your mobile device to play Jackbox Games.

But what could be the biggest game for families this winter is Life-Size Candy Land. The drop-in programs will be offered at 10 a.m.-noon and 2-4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, and 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Feb. 17, in the Belt Upper Story and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, and Saturday, Feb. 24, at Savannah.