Hours in the summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day) are shortened and
the libaray is closed on Saturdays.

Mary Jo Ruppert, Director	Judy Miller, Technical Services
Mary Borgheiinck, Children's Services	Kris Reinert, Circulation Supervisor
Jennifer Chapman	Sandy Gustafson
Margaret Semerad	Christy Alquist

The three full time staff members are certified with the State Library of Iowa.

Jomi Anderson, President	Lisa Sampson, Vice President
Duane Rupp	Dave Deedrick
Sharon Harms	Brenda Perrin
Jim Staver	Jim Adamson
Jeff Hayes

Friends of the Library meet several times throughout the year. Their annual fundraiser, a holiday book basket auction, takes place in December. Officers are: Julie Thomas, President, Sue Parker, Secretary and Mary Ann Miller, Treasurer.

HISTORY
The Cherokee Public Library was established in 1886 by a group of twelve women and officially opened its doors in 1898. In January of 1903, the City received confirmation of a $10,000 grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation with an additional $2,000 being granted the next year. The building was dedicated in April of 1905 and still houses the library. The interior has been remodeled, but the facade is original, allowing the library to be placed on the National Register of Historic Sites in 1986. A two floor addition to the rear of the building was completed in October, 1998. An interesting feature of the addition is the enclosure of the original "bowstring" west wall as an interior wall.
The library has changed in the one hundred years since it was established. The collection now includes videos and audios as well as books, magazines, newspapers, and large print. Nineteen computers are available for public use, sixteen of which are connected to the internet. Anyone under the age of 18 must have a parental permission form on file in order to access the internet. All computers are subject to the rules of the Internet Policy and the Patron Behavior Policy.

An automated catalog and circulation system was completed in August of 2001. At this time the library's catalog is not available by remote access.

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
The children's department maintains a busy programming schedule. Preschool storytimes are held Tuesday and Friday mornings at 10:30. The Toddler Gang meets one Saturday morning a month and the After School Bunch (grades K-4) meets two Thursday afternoons a month. Readers 'R Us (grades 5-8) and Teens' Corner also hold monthly activities. Family ERA (Evening Reading Adventure) is held each month, and special programs are planned for holidays. A monthly library newsletter is available with specific dates.

The library offers shut-in delivery by request. The staff is also available for programming for community groups. A small meeting room may be used by groups conducting meetings consistent with the library's activities. Throughout the year, the library staff teaches computer classes dealing with beginning skills, internet, e-mail, database, word processing, and spreadsheet. These are one session beginning-level classes.

The Cherokee Public Library is a participant in the Open Access program sponsored by the State Library of Iowa. Anyone with a valid Iowa driver's license may check out materials. The library also participates in Access Plus, a service that provides books and magazine articles as loans to and from other libraries. Information and passwords for the EBSCO Database are available at the library. This service is paid for by the State Library of Iowa and is offered to all Iowa residents.

Reference service by personal contact or telephone is backed up by the Northwest Library Service Area in Sioux City, Iowa. Internet searching for legitimate reference questions will be done by the library staff as time permits on a limited basis.

Local history information is available in the genealogy room with two micro-reader printers for public use. Cherokee newspapers from 1870 to the present are on microfilm as well as federal and state census films.

The Cherokee Area Archives maintain their own collection in a special room. Family history files, local historical photos, pertinent records, and other local history items on paper are available. The Archives is open from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday -Friday, and is staffed by volunteers. It is also open by appointment.