December 2023 Standard News article

By Gaylee Harris, Montgomery City Public Library Director

Are you trying to find just the right gift for someone special this holiday season?  Maybe you want to treat yourself to something new and different. Then look no further than the Montgomery City Public Library. An MCPL library card would be a great gift for anyone this Christmas! 

With the MCPL card, you can check out fiction and non-fiction books, best sellers, current magazines, and CD audiobooks.  You can also check out STEAM-to-Go kits for your children to encourage learning in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.  Memory Matters Kits are available to help adults with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease keep their minds active.  If you have a party coming up, check out one of our many games like Apples to Apples, Ticket to Ride, Catan, Guesstures, Catch Phrase, or Giant Bingo.  Twister, Giant Sorry, Giant Yahtzee, and Giant Jenga are other favorites to try.  Maybe puzzles are more your speed on a cold afternoon.  There are many puzzles from which to choose.  You could try your hand at fishing poles, disc golf, or cornhole once the weather warms up.  Our Library of Things has an assortment of items that can be checked out like a telescope, a metal detector, a photo scanner, microscopes, and ice cream ball to name a few.

The MCPL card also grants you free access to Libby, Boundless, or MOLib2Go for e-books and e-audiobooks.  Download the apps onto your device and log in using your library card.  You can access the Missouri Evergreen Catalog, Creativebug (arts & crafts), Niche Academy (computer skills & library resources), Book Connections, Teen Health & Wellness, and VetNow through the library’s website at www.mcplmo.com.     

For an MCPL library card, the card is free if the person lives or owns property within the city limits of Montgomery City.  If the person lives outside the city limits, the card costs $25.00 a year.  The reason for the difference is that those who live within the city limits pay a library tax each year since MCPL is a city library.  Those living outside the city limits do not pay the library tax.  The $25 fee is about the cost of one new hardback book at Barnes and Nobles, and you get so much more from your Montgomery City Public Library for that same price.

Another way to find some wonderful gifts for the holiday season is to come to the MCPL Winter Book Sale.  The big sale will be on Saturday, December 9, from 9 am to 12 noon.  Paperback books are 2 for $1.00.  Hardback books, DVDs, CD audiobooks are $1.00 each.  Special sales will be announced that morning.  There will be all kinds of fiction, romance, western, non-fiction, and children’s books at the sale.  Books make the best presents!

Stop by the Montgomery City Public Library so the friendly staff can help you with gifts for that special someone or for yourself that keep on giving throughout the entire year!