Member Spotlight – McPherson Public Library
When you hear the word library, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Books, right? Well, at the McPherson Public Library, located at 214 W. Marlin, it’s a whole lot more than books!
Were you aware that the McPherson Public Library has a special “Library of Things” that can be checked out? Some of the items they have to offer include puzzles, telescopes, cake pans of all shapes (like one of Snoopy, Dora the Explorer, and Mickey Mouse to name a few), disc golf kits, Switch games, pickleball kits, and Experience Passes that get a family into a venue for free. Some of the Experience Pass destinations include Old Cowtown, Tanganyika, the Cosmosphere, and the Wichita Art Museum. On the bulletin board in the lobby of the Library you’ll find the things they have available for check out.
At McPherson Public Library they have a new accessibility collection which includes a wheelchair, a magnifying glass, a large print keyboard, an ergonomic mouse, a document scanner for viewability, a standing and lowering desk, and a pen that reads to you! Yes, you read that right – a pen that can read to you! It is used for dyslexia. It doesn’t read a whole book to you, but you can use it to scan a section, and it can read certain sentences or maybe a font that is too small. The pen can also translate over 200 languages!
Did you know that every month the McPherson Public Library has activities for folks of all ages? There is Mother Goose Time for little ones – birth to 24 months, Toddler Time for 2-year olds, and Storytime for 3-6 year olds. The Library also has monthly Book Clubs for the adults, shows Early Release Movies for kids and adults, provides Arts After School for 6th-12th graders, and also has Crafts with Cara classes.
The McPherson Public Library also offers a Book Express program. This is a service provided for folks who live in the community but can’t get into the Library for one reason or another. It’s kind of like a personal shopper for books. Someone with the Library will chat with you to help determine what genres or authors you like. Then books, magazines, or audio books are delivered to you every three weeks.
An exciting new thing the McPherson Public Library has to offer is Universal Class. This is an online opportunity to take non-credit continuing education courses. Everything from how to make a better resume to learning how to host a party to dog training! Lindsay Helms, in charge of the Marketing and Adult Programming at the Library, said – “Universal Class has over 500 classes. You can have access 24/7 at a time. You can take these classes anytime that fits your schedule. You can do it at home. You could come in here and use one of our computers. Each course has a real instructor to email with. To access it, you go to macpl.org, you go to our resources tab and to our online learning and click on Universal Class.” You only need a Kansas State Library Card to access Universal Class, which you can get at the McPherson Public Library!
On May 22nd, the McPherson Public Library is having a Library Summer Kickoff Event to get ready for the summer! There will be food trucks, bounce houses, and lots of activities. Different organizations will have booths that will showcase upcoming and ongoing events for all ages within our community. It will be a great time to discover what opportunities are available during the summertime in our area and help families in planning what they would like to do.
So, as you can clearly see, the McPherson Public Library is not just books. It’s … activities for youth and adults; early release movies; a resource for taking non-credit continuing education classes; a place to check out movies, telescopes, pickleball kits, games, and Experience Passes to museums and zoos. It’s a place that has access to databases, genealogy, local history, digital downloads, and more! Visit the McPherson Public Library website to discover all of the resources they have available and be sure to check the Library calendar to see what they have going on. They’re also on Facebook! The McPherson Public Library, 214 W. Marlin, is open Monday-Thursday – 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday – 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday – 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Go here to see photos from Chamber Connections hosted by the McPherson Public Library.