National Library Week comes to St. Ambrose

O’Keefe Library will host its National Library Week celebration April 15-21. Events will be held throughout the week to help highlight the library’s uniqueness.

“National Library week is designed to draw attention to what kinds of things that a library can do,” says Mary Heinzman, library director.

Evening reference librarian Syl Rex agrees.

“My favorite part of library week is the spotlight it shines on libraries and their importance.”

Rex goes on to tell about that importance.

“Libraries are a repository for a body of knowledge. They are the access point to wisdom.”

Library week will feature old favorites and new offerings. Traditions that will return include cookie day and the paper airplane contest.

New features will include a hip hop dance performance by the SAU Hip Hop Club and the new “READ” posters. Another new addition will be an “add-a-line poem” that will be started by the library and each person that comes in can add a line to.

The week will kick off with the annual cookie day. Cookies, trail mix and candy will be available to anyone who visits the library on Monday. Wednesday will bring the fourth annual paper airplane contest. And Friday will close the week with prizes being drawn after people have registered all week.

“Prizes will be awarded for the airplane that stays in the air the longest. The one that flies the longest distance, the most creative and we will have a judge’s choice category,” Heinzman said. “The first year we had 3 people participate. Last year we had 25 to 30 entrants, and we are expecting an even bigger turnout this year.” The contest is slated to start at 2:30 p.m.

The new “READ” posters will be unveiled also during National Library Week. While the actual people on the posters won’t be revealed until the unveiling Heinzman did provide some small hints.

“There will be six faculty/staff members. There will be six students individually and then two more groups of students.”

There will be a contest for students to find all of the “READ” posters on campus. Anyone wanting to play can pick up and entry form in the library. Then they can fill out the forms and return it.

One of the things library week does is allowing libraries to highlight services that are overlooked or underused, such as Media Services.

“A lot of people don’t know we have it and the best part of it is that it is free,” tells Heinzman.

Prizes to be given away include SAU T-shirts, bookstore and coffee shop gift certificates, and a basket containing various books. Smaller prizes such as SAU socks and hats will also be given away. The drawing will be held at noon.

National Library week runs for one week every April, usually around midmonth.