Posted in Events and Presentations, News, STEAM Room

Big Hearts, Big Check!

Despite the rain and all the other wonderful events occurring on Saturday, Meinders Library had a great turnout for our Patron Appreciation Open House.

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A huge thanks goes to Michelle Cheeseman, her staff, and State Farm for the proof that small towns can accomplish big things.

Of course, we would be remiss in not thanking our patrons for attending this event, voting #fullSTEAMahead, and/or using our library each and every day in myriad ways. It is through your use that we remain viable. Without patrons, there would be no need for a library, let alone a library with big dreams.

Our undying gratitude goes to our Pipestone Area Friends of the Library who support us financially, by helping out at events, hosting speakers, and providing the never-ending supply of delicious treats that accompany many of our programs.

I would like to thank our Library Board members for their direction and support, as well as Superintendent Kevin Enerson for providing school support. A shout out goes to Mr. D and the tech office who will be my new best friends when it comes time to understanding all my options for technology and helping me make good choices! I look forward to working together to make our STEAM Room a success for all patrons–public and school.

My appreciation continues for all those involved in promoting our library as a whole, and our cause for this grant in particular. The Chamber, the newspaper, the radio, local businesses, organizations, individuals and groups. The sheer volume of genuine interest in our library is overwhelming. It’s a huge motivator.

Many thanks to my wonderful, amazing, smart, energetic, organized, and compassionate staff. Big dreams and big checks cannot accomplish anything without great staff–of which Meinders Library has in spades. Enough said.

And lastly, Maggie. Our library is beautiful through your daily efforts. Crumbs. Spills. Dirty feet. You take care of all the big (and little) messes and make coming to work every day a pleasure.

Posted in Events and Presentations, News, STEAM Room

Nothing Says Thank You Like a Party

Please join us this Saturday for our Patron Appreciation Open House.

Between 2:00pm and 4:00pm, we will celebrate our community and the support provided to our library with homemade treats from the Pipestone Area Friends of the Library.

Michelle Cheeseman from State Farm will present the grant check from the Neighborhood Assist program. We would love to share this moment with you.

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With your help, we did it!

Throughout the afternoon, we will provide information regarding the grant and how we plan to use the $25,000 to strengthen our community. As a sneak peek into what types of events, programs, and services we hope to offer through the grant, tours of the STEAM Room will be given, hands-on activities will be available to try, and Escape Room puzzles will entice code crackers of all ages.

All community members are invited to join us for this monumental event, as it is in your honor that this party is given.

 

Posted in News, STEAM Room

We Did It!

Thanks to all the wonderful support from our family, friends, and community, Meinders Library is the joyful recipient of State Farm’s Neighborhood Assist grant for $25,000.

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To view our big moment, please check out our Facebook page and share the news.

To celebrate, please stop in today while we are open and enjoy some homemade treats from our staff.

To learn more about our cause and check out our pre-grant makerspace, pencil us in on October 14 for our Patron Appreciation Open House. From 2:00 until 4:00pm, we will share our vision of making Meinders Library a community hub. Michelle Cheeseman will present a check from State Farm, and refreshments will be served.

We wouldn’t be here without you. And it is with you in mind that we push into the future #fullSTEAMahead.

 

Posted in News

Countdown to #fullSTEAMahead

11 Hours 11 Minutes

 

 

Win or lose, we’re prepared to share the news…

both pinatas
On Thursday, September 28 at 12:01am Eastern Time, one of these pinatas will be destroyed on Facebook with the help of our young patrons.

Join us tomorrow throughout the day to commiserate or celebrate. As Emily says, “We are going to eat our feelings.” And you can, too.

Our hope is that our day will be filled with gold coins instead of sour lemons and nuts.

But know that regardless of how this turns out, we will move forward #fullSTEAMahead to make Meinders Community Library a place to go, grow, and learn.

Thanks to all for your support in this journey!

A special thanks to Michelle Cheeseman and State Farm for the opportunity to support our community through this wonderful grant.

*results can be found at the Neighborhood Assist website where you voted*

Refreshments will be provided by Meinders Staff.

 

Posted in News, STEAM Room

A huge thanks!

Last week was a whirlwind of voting, sharing, and encouraging for the library. On the one hand, it was amazing to have our Full STEAM Ahead grant submission advance to the voting stage.

Even more exciting and humbling was the overwhelming response of community, family, and friends who took time out of their lives to support our cause. Unfortunately, we will not learn the results until September 28, but until then, I can definitively say that we have accomplished so much.

  • By voting at all, we have shown that literacy, education, experience, and opportunity for the members of our community matter.
  • By keeping us in the top 20 for most of the voting phase, we proved that we may be little, but that we have big hearts.
  • By actively promoting voting for a great cause, we refused to go down without a fight. We are active and committed. We are passionate and compassionate. We have a voice and we used it.

Most importantly, we did it together.

My first thanks goes to Michelle Cheeseman and Erica Volkir for gathering a group of individuals to brainstorm submission ideas for the State Farm Neighborhood Assist program way back in June. All the individuals at that meeting are passionate about our town and want so many great things for the residents of our community. Their input was helpful in shaping the grant submission.

My second and very heartfelt thanks goes to the wonderful staff at Meinders Library. Despite knowing the work ahead of them if we receive this grant, they were all in. Having a shared vision for our library and our community is amazing beyond words. I love my library ladies!

A third thanks circles back to the Chamber of Commerce–and more specifically to both Erica and Tom. Their promotional savvy and tireless support was and is unparalleled. I don’t know when they sleep, but I do know that our community is stronger with them in our midst.

I would be remiss in not thanking the school for throwing in with us on the Full STEAM Ahead idea and the impact we can make together in helping all our patrons reach their potential. School and public, adult and youth, educator, student, parent, business. Our goal is to facilitate a healthy and engaging lifestyle filled with opportunities and new experiences.

Finally, I would like to thank our entire community and all the circles of support that rippled out and reached across the country. I heard of votes rolling in from Washington, Texas, Virginia, Florida, Wisconsin, and Colorado.

Regardless of what September 28th brings, I am thankful for the awareness brought to our cause and the mobilization of everyone involved. We will keep you posted!

 

 

Posted in News, STEAM Room

Voting in the Dark for #fullSTEAMahead

Vote #fullSTEAMahead for $25,000

Lights are out on the Neighborhood Assist Leaderboard. During the last 24 hours, we will have no idea where we rank. So, please share, vote, share again, and help Meinders Library beat back the darkness and finish the grant voting phase with Full STEAM!

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The 40 causes with the most votes will receive a $25,000 grant.

Your votes do count!

Final results will be announced September 28, 2017/

Posted in Events and Presentations, News, STEAM Room

Did you Vote #fullSTEAMahead Today?

We have had so much library love these past eight days. With only two days to go in the State Farm Neighborhood Assist voting phase, we need your continued support. I know the journey has been long, but the payoff will hopefully be worth every click you made to support Meinders Community Library in their quest to receive $25,000.

If you haven’t yet, please Vote #fullSTEAMahead for $25k.

Your vote is an absolutely free way to financially support Meinders Library, its mission, and our community.

Our goal is to provide hands on opportunities, introduce new passions, and foster new skills in our youngest patrons to our most wise seniors citizens.

With your help we can start transforming our library into a community hub.

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Thanks to all who have supported us along the way. We wouldn’t be where we are without you!

Posted in Early Bird Book Club, News

Refreshing Reads at Meinders Library

Don’t give up on summer yet–or on voting #fullSTEAMahead.

refreshing reads
Round out your reading list with one of our new arrivals from your beloved authors. Or, find a new author to add to your list of favorites like one of the sweet titles shown above.
  • Down a Dark Road by Linda Castillo in print and on audio
  • Lying Game by Ruth Ware
  • Silent Corner by Dean Koontz
  • Sulfur Springs by William Kent Krueger
  • Wired by Julie Garwood in print and on audio
  • 2 Nights by Kathy Reichs
  • Beloved Hope by Tracie Peterson
  • Late Show by Michael Connelly
  • Look Behind You by Iris Johansen
  • The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman
  • Plus another 30 titles

 

Up for a good discussion? Early Bird Book Club meets at 8:30am on the third Tuesday of each month. Their September book is “Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance.

Up for supporting a good cause? Vote #fullSTEAMahead for $25,000 and help our library win a grant for more programming, more supplies and cool tools.

Posted in News

4 Ways to Support Meinders Library

1. Vote #fullSTEAMahead and help us win $25,000. Every one of your votes counts, and right now, we need as a many votes as we can get! This grant will go a long way in helping us increase our programming and offerings to the all of our community members. Four more days=forty more votes.

book returns

2. Bring back long overdue or lost library books. Un-returned items cost the library–and therefore the community–money. For the next two weeks, we will waive late fees on long overdue or lost items. Return your items in the drop box or at the circulation desk before school starts. No questions asked. No judgments made. Only appreciation for helping our materials get back home where they belong.

3. Provide us with a valid email address. This quick communication between the library and our patrons helps cut down on late fees for patrons, as you will receive a reminder that items are coming due. It also alerts you of the arrival of items you have placed on hold. In addition, it significantly decreases staff time that is typically spent calling patrons. This makes us more efficient and effective, and allows us extra time for other necessary duties.

4. Follow us on Facebook or follow our blog (www.meinderslibrary.com). This will help you stay connected to Meinders Library and provide you with up-to-date information on programs, new books, activities and events, and potential closings.

Posted in News

Pick Your Cause at Meinders Library

Stop by Meinders Library to pick a handful of cherries, some good books, and a great community cause.

PICK YOUR CAUSE
Nothing is sweeter than supporting things you truly believe in!

Vote #fullSTEAMahead for $25,000.

Our Cause:

Provide community access to tools, education and experiences necessary to ignite new passions and learn new skills. By transforming a dedicated space into a community learning commons that targets Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math for all ages, we can provide individuals in our community with the skills and experiences necessary to better engage in their world.