February 14th is Library Lovers’ Day, and here at Missouri River Regional Library, we are lucky to have so many amazing supporters of what we do. If you are one of those awesome Library Lovers, you probably want to express your undying devotion to us (we know, we think we’re pretty great too). Maybe you’re planning on standing in our park area with your boombox blasting “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel, or doing a choreographed dance with a lift. While those are both great ideas, they might be a little disruptive to other patrons. Don’t worry though, we have some of our own suggestions (that don’t involve 80s love ballads), and no matter what your love language is, you should be able to find a way to cherish us the way we deserve.

• Acts of Service: Volunteer your time with one of our amazing library groups. More interested in doing fundraising for the library? You could look into working with our MRRL Foundation. Maybe you’d rather go out into our community and help with library events, in which case Friends of the Library might be the group for you. Do you have a teen who wants to spend their summer helping others? Have them apply to be a Reading Buddy!
• Receiving Gifts: Yeah, you could give us money, but the whole point of the library is that everything is free! Instead, you should consider donating us your old books, movies, music, board games, and puzzles for our yearly Book Sale. The proceeds from this sale get split between the library and ABLE (Adult Basic Literacy Education), which are both worthy causes, if we do say so ourselves. Also, if you really want to spend money on us, you might as well come to the sale and get some gently used books out of it.
• Physical Touch: With the popularity of apps like Libby and Hoopla, it can be easy to forget about your old pal Physical Media. Nothing really hits quite like reading an old fashioned book (no judgement to the eBook and audiobook lovers though, we see you). Besides, we have plenty of stuff that you can’t get from an app, like STEAM kits, fishing poles, and mobile hotspots.
• Words of Affirmation: Be a library advocate! We really enjoy hearing about how much you love us, but it would be even better if you told other people: your friends, family, dentist, and even random people on the street. Share our social media posts, tell your dentist about the great programs we have, give your friend all of the juicy details on the book you have checked out, or (my personal favorite) ask strangers if they have a library card. The more you spread the word, the more people we have to love us.
• Quality Time: We have programs of all types for all ages! Bring the fam to a movie night, expand your brain at an educational lecture, or do some arts and crafts with your besties. Everyone is welcome, and everything is free! Check out our online calendar to see what we have to offer this month (and every month).