What's Happening at YOUR Library?

Join us in welcoming Ozark author and historian Brooks Blevins to the Fredericktown branch of Ozark Regional Library on Thursday, October 10th, at 6:00 p.m. for the first of a four-part speaker series. Blevins will present a lighthearted program titled How to Talk Ozark in Seven Simple Steps. Blevins has a PhD in History and is considered an expert in the cultural and social subtleties of the Ozarks as demonstrated by seven Ozark-related books, contributions to various boards furthering Ozark research such as the Missouri Historical Review, Ozark Highlands Radio show, and the Ozark Folk Cultural Commission, and the Noel Boyd Professorship at Missouri State University. Themes of Blevins’s research also include Ozarks identity, regional tourism, and the economy as it relates to Agriculture, so there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

The Speaker Series is brought to you through a partnership between the library, the Madison County Historical Society, and Missouri Humanities. It is free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served.

Visit ozarkregional.org or call (573) 783-2120 for more information on the 2024 Speaker Series. Following Blevins, the Fredericktown library will host Missouri authors Bill Hart, Steve Wiegnstein, and Phillip Howerton.

Join us in welcoming Bill Hart, local author from Perryville, Missouri! Hart will present a lighthearted program called The History of Hotels & Motels—Sleeping Around in Southeast Missouri on Thursday, October 24th, at 6:00 p.m. in Fredericktown. Hart is the director of the Perry County Historical Society, has served on a statewide preservation organization, and has degrees in both Historic Preservation and Architectural History. Hart has published a book titled Historic Missouri Roadsides, and continues the roadside theme with this presentation on regional hotels and motels of the past. This program is designed and intended for an adult audience.

The Speaker Series is brought to you through a partnership between the library, the Madison County Historical Society, and the Missouri Humanities Speakers’ Bureau. This program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Visit ozarkregional.org or call (573) 783-2120 for more information on the 2024 Speaker Series. Following Hart, the Fredericktown library will host Missouri authors Steve Wiegnstein and Phillip Howerton.

Join us in welcoming Ozark author Steve Wiegenstein to Fredericktown on Thursday, November 7th, at 6:00 p.m. for a presentation titled The Tri-State Tornado of 1925. If you are from the region, you already know that the Tri-State Tornado is considered one of the deadliest tornadoes in U. S. History. It was classified as an F5 on the Fujita Scale, affected communities in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, lasted more than three hours, and killed close to 700 people. Due to the severe loss of life and property, the Tri-State Tornado not only changed the region, but led to significant changes in tornado forecasting and warning systems. Come learn more about how the tornado developed and what the long-term effects of this weather event have been. This program is designed and intended for an adult audience.

The Speaker Series is brought to you through a partnership between the library, the Madison County Historical Society, and the Missouri Humanities Speakers Bureau. This program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Visit ozarkregional.org or call (573) 783-2120 for more information on the 2024 Speaker Series. Following Wiegenstein, the Fredericktown library will host Missouri author Phillip Howerton as its final speaker of this series.

We are pleased to welcome Ozark poet Phillip Howerton on Thursday, November 21st, in Fredericktown at 6:00 p.m. Howerton will be the final speaker of the Ozark Speaker Series, and will present a poetry workshop titled The Exposed Poet: Lifting the Artistic Veil. Poetry lovers and writers of all kinds will enjoy this hands-on approach to converting ideas and feelings into a meaningful narrative. As a published author who demonstrates the rich cultural and natural heritage of the Ozarks, Howerton will share personal revision strategies, elements that make poetry significant, and a brief analysis of participants’ completed poems. This workshop is intended for those 18 and older, but everyone is welcome.

The Speaker Series is brought to you through a partnership between the library, the Madison County Historical Society, and the Missouri Humanities Speakers Bureau. It is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Visit ozarkregional.org or call (573) 783-2120 for more information on the 2024 Speaker Series.

Welcome fall with story time at Ozark Regional Library! From September 30th to October 31st, we’ll sing songs, read stories, do arts and crafts, and learn fun rhymes at the library.

The program will be at:

Ozark Regional Library-Annapolis, Mondays at 10 AM
Viburnum City Hall, Tuesdays at 10 AM
Ozark Regional Library-Ironton, Wednesdays at 10 AM
Ozark Regional Library-Fredericktown, Thursdays at 10 AM

Watch for announcements about additional programs at ozarkregional.org or visit Ozark Regional Library System on Facebook or Instagram.

Ozark Regional Library is happy to announce that we are offering digital literacy assessments and training from Northstar Digital Literacy. This free service is provided by a partnership between the Missouri State Library, the REAL (Remote Electronic Access for Libraries) program, and MOREnet.

Northstar Digital Literacy training begins with a selection of assessments which determine how proficient the user is at the targeted skill, such as working with Windows 11 or Microsoft Word. From there, users can take a series of self-guided training sessions and tests to improve their proficiency levels. Users can earn certificates for completing these training modules if they pass the test with 85% or higher (to earn the certificate, users must take the proctored assessment while being proctored at a Northstar location such as Ozark Regional Library). The certificate may be used as proof of technology skills when applying for a job. All assessments and training are free of charge.

Proctors will soon be available at all of our libraries. If you would like to take a proctored assessment please contact the nearest branch of Ozark Regional Library, or contact us via our website at ozarkregional.org.

Click here to begin digital literacy training.

Need tech help? Our IT staff offers help with technology questions at scheduled times at each of our four branches. Register for an appointment by clicking on the link below.

Tech Appointment Sign up

Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines to read on your phone or tablet using the Libby app by OverDrive. You can even send and read your borrowed ebooks to your Kindle ereader (U.S. only)! It’s free and easy to get started. Learn more at overdrive.com/apps/libby/.

The Voices of the Ozarks project which started in Fredericktown pre-COVID will be renewed and expanded with a focus on family recipes and intergenerational dialogues in 2024!

The goal is to record approximately two (2) interviews per month (one in the Fredericktown library and one in the Ironton library) from April through December of 2024. These short audio recordings will be posted online with photos of the participants, the recipe, and a sample (when possible) to celebrate the past and present of Ozark cuisine. This program is designed to be a recorded dialogue between our older and younger generations, but participants are not required to bring someone with them. Visit ozarkregional.org or call (573) 546-2615 for more information.

Voices of the Ozarks Reservation

Looking for a new hobby? Come check out one of our new crafting kits! You can find them in our catalog here.

Want to try a new game (or an old familiar favorite)? Come see what we have available for checkout! You can find them in our catalog here.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is a nationwide initiative that promotes the joy of story. This free program ranges from newborn to just before kindergarten.