De Soto Public Library

06/20/2023

The Board of Trustees of the De Soto Public Library has hired a new Library Director, Kari Sanding.

Funding for the librarian assistant position has expired; therefore, Julie Berg-Raymond no longer works at the Library.

06/16/2023

From our library director:

"We are so excited to share that we are a recipient of a $20,000 grant from American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities initiative.

"De Soto Public Library will now become a stronger community resource for all residents. Stay tuned for more details as we get started on this important work."

(Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL).)

06/14/2023

Don't forget to pick up a raffle ticket!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This year, we're doing a calendar raffle in August: Purchase of a $20 ticket gets you 9 chances to win, with $500 being the top prize!! You also will be supporting your public library ❤️❤️❤️!!

Tickets can be purchased at the library, or from any of us who work here. 😊. Hours are Tuesday and Wednesday, 2-7 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.; and Saturday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Thank you, friends!!!

06/14/2023

We recently added one of her books to our collection ("On Juneteenth"; it's part of our Juneteenth display this month, and was a donation to the library).

Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, 64, speaks about researching — and living — America’s history

06/12/2023

06/10/2023

06/07/2023

Stop by and check out our Juneteenth display -- including some recent donations to our collection!

I just finished reading "All That She Carried" for the first time -- and it's one of the best books I have ever read. The author, Tiya Miles, is a scholar/historian/professor -- and a wonderful writer. She brings a cautious interdisciplinary perspective to a subject matter that is almost unbearably poignant, and that brings light to lived histories not generally included in the "historical record." Miles' book reflects the bringing-together of work by top experts in multiple fields, and her own intellectual training and expertise -- a wide and deep knowledge of U.S. history (and of the problems that dog the very idea of historical study, itself). Miles makes the convincing case that the United States *has to* understand and come to grips with this dimension of its/our collective history. "All That She Carried" leaves a reader with the sense that this is not just imperative, but possible. -- Julie

06/03/2023

"As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has-or ever will have-something inside that is unique to all time." - Fred Rogers ❤️

06/02/2023

EDIT: If you'd like to read the review but are blocked by a paywall, send a message via this page or email me at [email protected] and I'll get you a copy. 😊

“All That She Carried,” by the historian Tiya Miles, digs deep into a singular object given by an enslaved woman to her daughter in the mid-19th century.

06/01/2023

This book isn't specifically related to Juneteenth. I came across this review of the book, though, when I was looking for books for our Juneteenth display this month. If you read this book review, I think -- I hope -- you'll understand why I'm purchasing it and donating it to our library for the display. I hope many of you might take a look at it, and let me know what you think! ❤️😊

EDIT: If you'd like to read the review but are blocked by a paywall, send a message via this page or email me at [email protected] and I'll get you a copy. 😊

“All That She Carried,” by the historian Tiya Miles, digs deep into a singular object given by an enslaved woman to her daughter in the mid-19th century.

06/01/2023

Ronald McNair

Ronald McNair was 9 years old when a South Carolina librarian told him he could not check out books from a segregated library in 1959. Refusing to leave, a determined McNair sat on the counter while the librarian called the police, as well as McNair's mother. The police arrived, told the librarian to let the young boy have his books, and McNair walked out alongside his mother and brother.

McNair went on to earn his Ph.D. in physics at MIT and became one of the first Black Americans selected as astronauts by NASA, alongside Guion S. Bluford, Jr. and Frederick Gregory.

McNair's first spaceflight was the STS-41B mission, aboard the "Challenger" shuttle. He successfully maneuvered the robotic arm, which allowed astronaut Bruce McCandless to perform the first space walk without being tethered to the spacecraft.

The second space flight for McNair would be his last. He, along with six other NASA astronauts, were aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger when it exploded 73 seconds after takeoff in 1986. Everyone on board the shuttle was killed.

Today, the library in South Carolina where McNair was refused books is named after the heroic boy determined to make a difference.