Ever paid money for a Blank Park Zoo ticket, paid to listen to music or paid for a workshop? If so, a library card could have saved you some money.
According to Mallory Snow, assistant director, signing up for a library card is free and gives residents access to all of the library’s resources. Nearly all residents from the immediate area and from most of Iowa are eligible for a Drake Community Library card.
Resources include e-books, audiobooks, documentary and music streaming services and language learning software, she said.
Library cardholders can also reserve free tickets online to the Blank Park Zoo, Iowa Science Center, and Blue Zoo Aquarium in Des Moines as part of the Iowa Adventure Pass program.
The library has been open seven days a week since 2023.
“We expanded our hours into Sunday to be able to offer more people an opportunity to stop into the library,” said Snow. “It’s been pretty well used up to this point.”
Snow said the library also has an extensive local history archive.
The public access section contains historic Grinnell College and Grinnell High School yearbooks and a microfilm reader, while the restricted access section contains historic church records, hospital records and more.
“It’s a really good resource for any sort of local history research or for anybody who just wants to know a little more about the area,” said Snow.
In addition to a wide slate of children’s activities, the library also hosts programming oriented towards all ages.
This includes a board game night on the first Monday of each month and a bimonthly book club meeting, said Amy Wilhelm, library assistant.
The library also has a guest speaker series of performers, lecturers, and local authors, most recently featuring a presentation by a Holocaust researcher, she said.
Off-site, Wilhelm travels twice a month to the Windsor Manor and Mayflower retirement communities to read stories to the elderly as part of the library’s Golden Story Hour.
A full calendar of events is posted on the library website.
Wilhelm added that the library welcomes any suggestions for additional programming.
Snow said that while federal funding cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services haven’t directly impacted Drake’s budget, they have impacted the State Library of Iowa, which Drake relies on for interlibrary loans.
“We used to provide that delivery service two days a week, and due to those budget cuts, they’ve dropped it down to one day a week,” said Snow, adding that Grinnell College students are encouraged to use Burling Library for their interlibrary loans.
Snow also said that while the library hasn’t experienced any direct challenges to any books on their shelves, they are committed to maintaining a well-rounded collection should any controversies arise.
Drake Community Library is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Saturday and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
