Library Awards Page
The Missouri Library Association (MLA)’s top award, for 2023 Missouri Library of the Year, was presented to Little Dixie Regional Libraries (LDRL) at the October 2023 annual meeting.
This award is given for distinguished achievement in library service and accompanies fourteen other awards and scholarships presented last month to libraries, library employees, community organizations, and authors. LDRL has added a “Library of Things”, “Lit Locker” for after-hours pickups and a monthly subscription style “Book Box” for their customers.
Little Dixie Regional Libraries covers Randolph and Monroe Counties in north central Missouri. The library system employs over twenty five people and staffs four different libraries. With locations in Huntsville, Madison, Paris, and Moberly, LDRL serves a population of over 32,000 patrons.
A ten person board oversees the library. Five board members are from Randolph County and five hail from Monroe County. Each county’s representatives are placed by the local county commissioners. The LDRL Board meets monthly to go over large expenditures, thoughts for the future, building improvements, programming updates and more.
The Director of the library, Rachael Grime, was happily surprised with the award. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard. Beyond the immense pride in our library system, I was just excited that we were seen for what we’ve been doing. It’s a beautiful thing to be recognized. Our staff, our buildings, our programs, and our mission are always evolving and working toward a stronger community and I am so proud of that fact”
In the past year, LDRL has created a library of things for patrons. The tiebrary, a collection of neckties, was the first addition for patrons to check out. Fishing poles soon followed with help from the Missouri Department of Conservation. Hotspots, microscopes, telescopes, and binoculars are now available for circulation at all four branches. “Libraries used to be just books and I adore books. However, as our community has changed so must the library. We offer so much more than books. We have video games, board games, music, and our library of things continues to grow,” shared Director Grime.
Circulation of physical items has abounded this year. Since January, the library has had record breaking circulation of books and other resources available than any other time in the library’s history.
Reaching underserved communities has become a priority. The library has provided programming in smaller towns like Cairo and Higbee during summer reading by providing magicians and music programs. A “Lit-Locker,” available for after hours holds, is conveniently located in front of the Randolph County Health Department. Hygiene kits, sponsored by local organizations, are available at all four branches filled with soap, combs, shampoo, toothbrushes and more.
Online resources continue to grow. Ebooks are available through multiple formats. Patrons can check out audiobooks through their phone or tablet. Kanopy, the library’s newest resource, allows for people to check out movies, documentaries, and popular television shows on their smart tv’s or tablets. The library has subscriptions to multiple genealogy databases including Ancestry, Family Search, HeritageQuest, and popular military genealogy database Fold3. Chiltons Auto, a database for car repair, is available free to library patrons. Creativebug, a database produced by JoAnn’s Fabrics, is full of free crafting classes. Old newspapers can be searched via the website.
In order to better serve their community, LDRL regularly partners with several local organizations, and enjoys a close relationship with Moberly Parks and Recreation, local MU Extension offices and health departments, and several local schools. “Partnerships are so incredibly important to the mission of the library. We can’t adequately do our jobs if we aren’t reaching out and finding new ways to help our patrons. Honestly, we have some of the organizations in the state and it’s always a pleasure to put on a program or offer a new service while working with the people of our community,” related Director Rachael Grime.
Library staff proves to be the most valuable resource of the library. “Many of the staff members have been here ten, fifteen, twenty years. With that past, comes a rich history and a desire to do more. The staff comes in every day not knowing what the day is going to bring. Whether it would be reading a story to a young child, helping a family find that perfect read, encouraging someone to apply for a job with our free computers, crafting with adults, playing board games with teenagers, researching your family tree or helping that student find the perfect information for the paper they are working on, each day is different. Libraries are meant for everyone and we serve the entire community. We are proud of that and will continue to do so,” said Grime.
2023 was an exciting year for the library. Rachael Grime was named the Outstanding Professional Librarian for Missouri. Linden Vanlandingham, former LDRL Board President, was awarded the Virginia G. Young award for exceptional trustee of 2023.
The Missouri Library Associati