Library of the Month: Spooner Memorial Library

The Library of the Month is a celebration of Wisconsin libraries compiled by the BadgerLink team.

Spooner is a small rural community of 2,600 people, with the nearest urban center approximately 80 miles away. As a consequence, the library’s service area encompasses nearly ¾ of the county. The responsibility of meeting those patrons’ needs is one the library embraces. Whether it is proctoring a test for a distance learning student or hosting a petting zoo that draws in 560 people, the Spooner Memorial Library is committed to making their community a better place by providing opportunities for both education and recreation.

The Spooner Memorial Library is celebrating a century of service in 2015. To commemorate this momentous occasion, the library hosted a series of events including an open house, complete with period costumes, and a program with nationally known author Lorna Landvik and the addition of a mural to the exterior of the building.

For the anniversary, the library released a book celebrating the library’s history. The story of the Spooner Memorial Library is not just the tally of the number of books that have circulated. But rather, it is the history of the people of Spooner who strongly believed that education empowers the individual to create his own destiny. The conviction that a library is not only a nicety but necessary for the community’s positive growth and prosperity is what has brought the library to the occasion of celebrating its centennial birthday.

The Spooner Memorial Library reciprocates by being the community’s biggest cheerleader, participating in as many civic events as possible. Along with the typical community events such as having a booth at the county fair, and a float in the Rodeo parade, the library works with Scouts, 4-H, Kiwanis, and Lions on fundraisers and recruitment. The library also joins in the celebrations of events such as Family Reading Night at the public school and Family Fun Festival run by the local family resource center.

It has always been the belief of the Spooner Memorial Library that small community does not equal small minds nor limit ambitions. It is their goal to be the best at what they do and reach beyond common expectations because their community deserves the finest service possible.