Hours

Monday, Wednesday, Friday Tuesday, Thursday Saturday Closed Sunday

10:00 am - 5:00 pm 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

2009 Board of Directors

The Board is elected each January by the Friends of the Library.  Board members serve three year terms.

Kristin Imhoff, President
Sharon Smith, Vice-President
Shirley Elliott, Treasurer
Marion Gish, Secretary
Norman Rohrbach
Jerri Korenberg
Carolyn Miller

Membership - Getting a Library Card

Any resident of the town of California may apply for a library card with proof of residency.  Residents of eastern Moniteau County and nearby may obtain a card for an annual fee.  Individuals may obtain a card for $10.00; family memberships are $25.00.  Patrons with cards may check out books and media and use the computers.

The library’s winter weather policy: We will remain open if at all possible, however if winter weather and poor road conditions require us to close, it will be announced on KRLL, 1420 AM.

For the Kids

Homework Help: In 2003, the learning center located upstairs at the library added an after-school study help service, that provides students with help from tutors on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 5. Registration forms for this service are available at the library or from the California Elementary and Middle School Principals' offices. In January of 2004 the library added a homework help center. Currently the center provides a large assortment of print resources to help with homework. It is located downstairs at the library near the study tables. The patron computers have linked homework help websites.

Children's Storytime: Special story-times are held throughout the summer as part of the summer reading programs. When school is in session, a storytime for pre-school and early elementary age children is held once or twice a month.  Day and time vary with the season. Activities vary and often include stories, crafts, and music. An adult should accompany children.  Check the home page for current information.

Summer Reading Program is for kids up to age 17. The sign up is held each May. Kids receive fun prizes for reading books in June, July and August.

Services Available at the Library

Computers: The library currently has ten computers that are available for members who have signed a computer usage agreement. Wireless Internet access is available and many patrons use the internet for e-mail and for research. The computers have word processing and spreadsheet programs (Microsoft Word and Excel). Both black and white and color printing are available for the patron’s use for a fee. The library also has two early literacy stations that provide educational games appropriate for pre-readers and beginning readers. One of the stations is bi-lingual (English and Spanish) and both are located in the children’s area.

Burger Foundation Distance Learning Center: A grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development along with matching funds from the Burger Foundation and other local donors have made the construction of this center possible. Further grant funding has helped the library to provide keep the learning center up-to-date. The library makes use of the learning center to provide educational programming and opportunities for life-long learning throughout the year.

Meeting Rooms: Rent the spacious rooms on the second floor for your next business meeting or special event. Heyssel Hall, a large meeting room that accommodates up to 250 people, features tables, chairs, a television/videocassette recorder, kitchenette and restrooms. Bolinger Conference Room can accomodate 20 to 35 people. Rentals for non-profit groups are: half day, $10; full-day, $20. For-profit organizations rates are: half day, $25; full-day, $50. For rental information, call (573) 796-4791 or (573) 796-2642.

Copier: A copier is available for public use and to copy reference materials that don’t leave the library.  The fee is 25¢ per page for b&w printing; $1.00 per page for color printing.

Fax Machine: Library staff will be happy to send your fax for $1 a page.

Magazines and Newspapers: Over twenty magazine subscriptions are available to patrons to read at the library or check out. Patrons may read the latest issues of the California Democrat, the Jefferson City News Tribune and the Kansas City Star at the library.

Adult Fiction Collection: Our growing collection of adult fiction includes best sellers and popular authors. The hard back collection is supplemented by a sizeable paperback collection. Between the two, you should be able to find something you like. Feel free to ask the librarian for assistance.

Reference and Non-Fiction: For research or entertainment, our non-fiction section includes everything from the "Chicken Soup" series to gardening and other "how to" books. Whether your interest lies in parenting help books, great artists, history, medical information or something else – here’s a good place to look.

Children’s Collections: Our Children’s books are divided into three categories to help you find what you’re looking for. Easy reading is for children up to third grade. The junior adult collection is aimed at middle school children and young adult is for the teenagers. However, you’ll find the popular Harry Potter series and the Little House series in the junior adult collection and the classic Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy’s books are in the young adult collection; so don’t let the age categories prevent you from finding the book you will enjoy.

Large Print and Audio Collections: Selected works are available in large print books and audio books in both cassette tape and CD format.

Spanish/English Collection: This special collection includes instructional material for English speakers wanting to learn Spanish and for Spanish speakers learning English. There are books written in Spanish for adults and children and many children’s books that are in both English and Spanish.

Video Collection: This is the newest special collection at the library. There are both VHS and DVD formats available. We'll continue to build this collection.

Award Winning Book Collection: This is a newer project funded by the Latham family. It includes books from the following awards: Aventis, Caldecott, Edgars, National, Newberry, Nobel & Pulitzer. So, it will have some books for young children and older kids as well as many books for adults - quality fiction, poetry, books about science, history and more! We’ll be giving you more information about this exciting new collection soon. For now, we’ve pulled the books we already had, ordered the award winners that we didn’t have for the past four years, and marked the books with a “1st prize blue ribbon sticker”.

Library Membership Application
Membership Renewal Form
Volunteer Application
Meeting Room Policy and Reservation Form
Library Use Agreement Form
Complaint Form
Library Material Complaint Form
Librarian Evaluation

Policy and Procedure Manual