Keeber's Kolumn

Library News, by David W. Keeber
Red Rock News
Date: January 11, 2008



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.