By David W. Keeber |
Sedona Public Library
Sedona, AZ - When I was but a boy, anyone
beyond their teen years was REALLY old! Now that
I grow longer in the tooth, such big numbers are
less daunting, especially when they are smaller
numbers than my current age of 56. So, when I
say that the Sedona Public Library is turning 50
this year, I believe we are still just a pup!
In 1958, a small group of interested Sedonans
banded together to put a small collection of
books on some shelves in the local Chamber of
Commerce building on Jordan Road. From that
modest beginning, the Library has grown and
grown to the place we know on White Bear Road.
Much has changed since those days, not the least
of which is the roster of interested folks, but
through the years the Library has served the
community in a number of ways, ranging from a
resource for books to a large collection of
books, audiovisual materials, magazines and even
downloadable books. The Internet has certainly
impacted the way we serve Sedona and the fact
that the Library offers hundreds of programs
each year and acts as one of the main community
centers in town stands in sharp contrast to that
original small bookcase.
This year, we will be celebrating the Sedona
Public Library’s 50th Anniversary of serving
Sedona with the theme of “Honoring the Past,
Embracing the Future.” With this theme, we will
recognize the considerable history we hold in
town and look with equal excitement towards the
many new ways we will serve our users and the
entire community.
To kick off the year-long celebration, the
Sedona Heritage Museum and the Sedona Public
Library are partnering for a new exhibit
celebrating the 50th anniversary. The new
exhibit will be on display at the Museum from
January 25th until mid-May 2008. It will
officially open with a reception on Friday,
January 25th from 11:00 a.m. to noon at the
Museum. The opening event is free and open to
the public, which includes free Museum admission
during that first hour.
Highlights of the exhibit will be a timeline of
world events and Sedona Library milestones from
1958-2008, an old card file catalog system next
to an operational and live computer set-up where
participants will be able to access the
Library’s current on-line catalog system, and a
reading area with 1950s era books and magazines.
A sampling of art pieces from the Library’s 2007
“Books Transformed” created by Sedona Visual
Artists Coalition members will also be on
display along with a “memory chain” activity.
Visitors to the show will have a chance to add
to this chain their city/state with materials
provided. Several items planned for display have
been loaned by the Jerome Public Library, the
Sedona Creative Life Center and long-time Sedona
Public Library members and volunteers.
In conjunction with the exhibit, the Sedona
Heritage Museum plans a special talk by an
original Library volunteer, Faith Fuller, for
February 27th. Faith will share stories of the
earliest days of the library. More details will
be released later. This special exhibit at the
Sedona Heritage Museum is just one of many
special activities and events planned by the
Library throughout the year in celebration of
their anniversary.
The Society Historical Society operates the
Sedona Heritage Museum on the Jordan Farmstead
at 735 Jordan Rd in Uptown Sedona, AZ. The
Museum is open daily at 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
For more information, call 928-282-7038. Visit
the Society's website at
www.sedonamuseum.org.
Finally, to repeat information from last week’s
“Library News” column, the quilts are here and
they look gorgeous! Be sure to take the time and
tour the display to see the superb detail work
of local quilters whose work ranges from large
format, bed-size versions to small lap quilts
and even smaller ones that can be viewed in the
display case. In the grey days of January, the
quilts are a wonderful and colorful antidote.
Past Library News issues:
Sedona Library Archive
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