SEPTEMBER 2025 | LIBRARY NEWS

NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR
It’s starting to feel like Fall outside! I think I’ll always be a summer girl at heart, but Fall is definitely one of my favorite times of the year. With school starting again, it’s been quiet around the library, but we are gearing up to celebrate Library Card Sign-Up Month, which is recognized nationwide to encourage individuals to sign up for library cards, promoting academic achievement and lifelong learning (American Library Association).
This year the theme is, “One Card, Endless Possibilities”, and that is so true! With a library card, you can do more than check out books. From free programs and job resources, to homework help, streaming media, and community events, today’s libraries connect communities to information, inspiration, and each other.
Libraries are for everyone—no matter your age, background, or goals—success starts with your library card. Getting a library card is easy and empowering! Join us this month in exploring all the ways the library and a library card can enhance your life. Encourage someone who doesn’t have a card yet to come in and get signed up; especially a child in your life.
Our normal programs will resume right after Labor Day, so check out our event calendar on our website for all the details. Our 2nd annual Bingo night is back! We had so much fun last year, we decided to do it again. Join us on Sept. 22 for some fun!
What can you do with your library card?
 • Do you want to read a book we don’t currently have in our collection? Don’t buy it from Amazon just yet! Request an Interlibrary Loan and we can borrow it from another library for you-absolutely free with your library card.
• Printer out of ink?-Send the documents you need to the library through our mobile app, SPOT Global Printing, and pick it up at the library-easy and cheap!
• Want to binge watch The Bachelor? Watch it for free on HOOPLA, with your library card.
• Have a reluctant reader at home? Turn them onto Tumblebooks or Libby and encourage them to listen to books. This is a great alternative as they build stronger reading skills. Listening to books is still reading!
• Looking to socialize and meet some new people? Come to one of our amazing adult programs. Monthly we offer book clubs, classes, and creative activities. We have something for everyone.
 
My book recommendation this month consists of just one book that I still can’t quite stop thinking about. It is powerful—full of emotional, heavy topics, but I couldn’t put it down. Definitely put it on your list.
✓ The River is Waiting, by Wally Lamb
Happy Reading
Jamie Sparks, Director

CELEBRATE LIBRARY CARD SIGN-UP MONTH
We are looking forward to some these special events we've got planned to help celebrate Library Card Sign-Up Month!
 
Fourth Wing
Deep Dive
Join Kaela for a chapter-by-chapter group discussion exploring the content, theories, and favorite moments from this wildly popular fantasy series.
 
 
First discussion: Monday, September 15th at 5:30pm
Book to Film
Watch Party
Join us for the Netflix movie adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, where sharp minds, quick wit, and a dash of danger make for the perfect evening’s entertainment.
 
 Saturday, September 20th at 10am
Family Friendly
BINGO Night
We’re thrilled to bring back our BINGO night for a second year after such an amazing turnout last time. Multiple rounds mean multiple winners, and each round comes with a fun prize for the lucky ones who call out “BINGO!”
Monday the 22nd at 5:30pm

CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS RESUME
Been missing your favorite Children's Program? They're back with the usual schedule!
Monday Night
Kids' Clubs
LEGO Club, Bookworms, and Evening Storytime—something for every kid!
Preschool
Storytime 
Join us on Thursdays at 10am for stories, songs, and a craft! 
Write Your Own Story:
Story Station 
This Third Saturday, create your own story with a random prompt or make your own!
Questions? Contact our Children's Librarian, Kristen.

1,000 BOOKS BEFORE KINDERGARTEN
Now offered through Sedalia Public Library
As a special treat this Library Card Sign-Up Month we are launching the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program at SPL! Set your littles up for academic success by reading together—earn a certificate of achievement and small tokens of completion along the way! Stop in the Children's Department to learn more about how to sign up for this great program. Questions? Contact our Children's Librarian, Kristen
PASSIVE PROGRAMS
Take and Make
Craft Kits To-Go
Come in to get a craft kit to take home! All supplies included (except scissors), with instructions, everything you need for a fun simple craft.
Find them just inside the front doors, while supplies last!
What age did you get your
first library card?
Tell us how old you were when you got your first library card! Stop by the front lobby and drop into the jar the appropriate colored bead to represent the age you signed up for your first card (at any library!) and help us create a visual map of our community's library stories!

FEATURED TITLES
Stop by our display to check out these reads and more that celebrate Hispanic Heritage month!
 
Family lore : a novel
by Elizabeth Acevedo

Follows the lives of several generations of women in the Marte family after gathering to honor Flor, who can predict the day someone will die, decides to throw herself a huge party as a living wake. 250,000 first printing.
Latino poetry : the Library of America anthology
by Rigoberto González

This unprecedented anthology collects the works of more than 180 poets, spanning from the 17th century to today, each bearing witness to the beauty and power of Latinx poetry; its profound engagement with pasts both mythical and historical; and its vision of a nation enriched by stories of immigrants, exiles, refugees and their descendants.
The Enchanted Hacienda
by J. C. Cervantes

Harlow Estrada returns to the enchanted Hacienda Estrada, a family farm in Mexico where her mother, sisters, aunt and cousins harness the magic of charmed flowers, but when she's chosen to watch over the farm, she panics since she, herself, is magic-less, until she opens her heart to love and creativity.
THIS MONTH'S BOOK CLUB PICK
 
Join us for Book Club to discuss this modern classic! We offer two discussion times for members to choose from:
 
Monday, September 8th 5:30pm-6:30pm
or
Tuesday, September 9th 2pm-3pm
 
Open to all adults who have read the book!
Need to borrow a copy? Pick one up at the front desk!
EXPLORE YOUR ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES

YOUR LIBRARIANS OUTSIDE THE LIBRARY
Spot our programming librarians, Kaylee and Kristen, at these community events!
First Thursday
Theme: Chalk Contest
Pettis County
 Pride Picnic
HOLIDAY CLOSURES
We will be closed Monday September 1st in Observance of Labor Day
 

Sedalia Public Library
311 W. 3rd Street, Sedalia, Missouri 65301
660-826-1314

https://www.sedalialibrary.com/