Library Director Molly Scanlan shared patron stories of gratitude in this week’s column in the O’Fallon Weekly.
Along with a yummy cake, Melissa sent a note of appreciation to Assistant Director Ryan Johnson and the very special staff who helped Melissa achieve her professional goal. She wrote:
“A sincere and significant thank you goes out to the staff of the O’Fallon Public Library. You all were my extended family and home away from home for months as I worked through all exams and certifications required to become a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones…this after a 25+ year career in medical device marketing and hospital administration. I thought my Bachelor of Journalism from MU was difficult (and it was!), but the process to get FA status far outreached even a Master’s in Marketing.
Your team never failed to ask what I needed, offer a study room, and cheer me on when yet another exam was in front of me.”
We sure enjoy hearing from happy patrons!
Molly also shared a note from Janet Kuhlman Palmer that came via the Library website’s comment form. Janet, OTHS Class of 1957, now lives in Decatur, IL and received a book – The Rent Collector – that she requested through her local library to read for her book club. When Janet received the book, Molly said it prompted a trip down memory lane.
In her note, Janet said, “Imagine my delight when I picked up the book and found it was from the O’Fallon Public Library, I was immediately transported back to grade school days and visiting the library where Edna Ayers reigned. I read the usual childhood favorites: Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, all of the Anne of Green Gables books, and moved onto authors such as Grace Livingston Hill and Gene Stratton-Porter.”
Ms. Palmer grew up on a farm on what is now called Milburn School Road. She returned to school after marrying and having a family to earn her Master’s degree in Library Science and spent most of her professional life as a school librarian and ended her comments by stating, “I am very thankful to have had a public library in my childhood.”
Help Us Set a New Record
Molly asks patrons, to “Help us make this the best year ever and pay a visit to the Library. Total attendance at the Library at the end of March was 163,000, and with an average of 15,000 visits a month, the Library will beat last year’s record of 170,000. Our goal is to reach 180,000 by the end of April. If you haven’t been to the Library in a while, stop by and see all we have to offer.”
Flash Book Sale
This Saturday, April 14, the Library will have a flash book sale from 11 AM – 2 PM.
Celebrate Actor William Holden’s 100th Birthday
O’Fallon’s native son, William Holden was one of the best-known movie stars of the 1950s and ’60s, Molly wrote. We will celebrate his birthday, Sunday, April 15, from 2-4 PM. “We will watch a half-hour biography of his life, share a birthday cake and trivia, then conclude by watching an episode of I Love Lucy where Lucy encounters William Holden at the Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood.
While we’re in a gratitude-mood, let’s give a shout-out to our friends at the O’Fallon Weekly – on stands and online every Wednesday.
The O'Fallon Public Library News 