November is Native American Heritage month! Honor the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans. Explore books written by Native American authors and stories that celebrate the culture of indigenous people across the United States.
Stop by the library and browse our book display, or check out our Read Native booklist for fans of YA. Click on a book cover to learn more or to place a hold.
Learn About Minnesota's Role in Title IX
2022 marks the 50th Anniversary of Title IX. Join sisters Sheri and Peggy Brenden on Monday, November 14 at 6 PM as they discuss and commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
Peggy will share her firsthand experience from her 1972 court case and how it influenced the passage and interpretation of Title IX. Peggy played tennis and wanted to compete on her high school team. But in Minnesota in 1972, the only way onto the tennis court was with the boys. She went to federal court, setting a legal precedent for schools before the passage of Title IX.
Peggy's younger sister Sheri Brenden, a former research librarian who worked for two of Minnesota's largest law firms and as a reporter for the St. Cloud Daily Times, shares Peggy's story in the book Break Point: Two Minnesota Athletes and the Road to Title IX, which is set to be released in December of 2022.
Both women will discuss how athletic participation for girls and women has been impacted in the last 50 years and address some of the challenges that remain.
Read Local
Read local with free books through Ebooks Minnesota. This online eBook fiction and nonfiction collection covers a wide variety of topics. It features Minnesota's independent publishers, including ABDO, Grassroots Indigenous Multimedia, Lerner, and Milkweed, as well as materials from national and international publishers. Many books do not require check-out, meaning everyone can read them at the same time without a waitlist! Books can be read in a browser, so no app or eReader is needed.
Book lovers and bargain hunters - you are in for a treat! Shop the Friends of the Stillwater Public Library Used Book Sale for bargains on popular fiction and nonfiction titles for adults, teens, and children. Hardcover books, trade paperbacks, audiobooks, and movies are priced at just $2.
Members-Only Preview:
Wednesday, November 9 | 5:00-7:30 PM
Not a member of Friends of the Stillwater Public Library? Join at the door.
Open to the Public:
Thursday, November 10 | 10:15 AM-7:30 PM
Friday, November 11 | 10:15 AM-4:30 PM
Saturday, November 12 | 10:15 AM-4:30 PM (Bag sale all day on Saturday! Grab a whole bag of books for just $10!)
For bargain books anytime, shop the ongoing Friends used book sale on the library's lower level. Proceeds from these book sales encourage lifelong learning by enhancing library materials and programs.
Visit the Gallery
As our days get shorter and darker, visit the library gallery for the vibrant photography of James Beck. You'll be uplifted and captivated by vivid nature photography reflecting Beck's rural upbringing as well as his travels for the agricultural industry. Much of Beck's photography comes from the St. Croix River Valley – you might even recognize where some of the views were captured.
Jim's favorite photographic subjects include flora and fauna, autumn and winter landscapes, and motifs of natural bodies of water. His signature presentation is to print his images in glass-like acrylic (rather than on the more traditional paper or board with frames). He finds the depth of his work is best translated in the light-filled filter made possible with an acrylic mount. The exhibit will be at the library through December and is viewable during library hours.
From Our Archives
This month, the library celebrates 125 years as a free, public library and 120 years of our Carnegie building! We're commemorating these anniversaries with a series of web and Facebook posts about the early days of the library.
For our first post, we're going way back . . . to before the library was established in 1897 and before the Carnegie library was built in 1902. Stillwater had a subscription-based library dating back to 1859, created originally as a repository and reference library for government publications received from one of Minnesota's first U.S. senators, Henry M. Rice. By 1869, the library transitioned into a lending library.
In the early years, the small library collection moved frequently, from the offices of city founder and lumberman, John McKusick, to the city council offices, and even, famously, the city jail! After the library became a lending library, the collection was housed by various local businesses, including a general store, a drug store, a millinery, and a sewing machine shop. In these locations, the proprietor would act as the librarian, and the collection was seen as a way to bring people into the business.
By 1875, the collection had grown large enough for the library to begin renting its own space, first in the Hersey & Staples block, at the southeast corner of Main and Myrtle. Then in 1887, the library was moved to the Lecky Building, located at 210 North Main Street (next to the present-day location of Candyland). In 1895, the library moved to the Jassoy Block at the corner of Third Street and Chestnut. This was the library's last location prior to the establishment of the public library in late 1897.
Top photo - The library was housed in a millinery shop located in the Mower building at Second and Chestnut for a short time in the 1870s. Bottom photo - The library was located in the Jassoy building, at Third and Chestnut from 1895 to 1898. Photos are from the library's John Runk Collection.
Make a difference in our community! Apply to be a Stillwater Public Library Board Trustee and help govern the library, review policies, set goals, and advocate for library services. For more information, view the Trustee Job Description and visit the Board of Trustees page. Trustees must be residents of Stillwater.
Application Deadline: The application deadline is 12:00 Noon on Monday, November 14, 2022. View City of Stillwater Boards & Commissions to apply for the vacancy online.