Libraries

Founded in 1938, the Ash Grove Branch Library is the oldest county branch of the Springfield-Greene County Library. The branch is located on the southeast corner of Main Street and Calhoun Street (Highway V) in the northwest Greene County town of Ash Grove. Thanks to its friendly staff, who know many patrons by name, the branch retains its small-town charm while providing up-to-date library service. Hours of Operation: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Located on the corner of Brentwood Boulevard and Seminole Street, one block east of the intersection of Glenstone Avenue and Seminole Street, the Brentwood Branch Library has served southeast Springfield since 1971. The branch, convenient to such popular shopping centers as the Plaza, Brentwood Center, Battlefield Mall and Primrose Marketplace, is popular with young and old alike. Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The townspeople of Fair Grove had long been faithful patrons of their once-a-week bookmobile stop. They were rewarded for their faithfulness when the Fair Grove Branch Library became the eighth branch of the Springfield-Greene County Library District in 2000. The branch is located in the new City Hall Building on the corner of Orchard Boulevard and Old Mill Road in the northeast Greene County town of Fair Grove. Hours of Operation: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

This stately Carnegie library opened its doors in 1905, and ever since, the Midtown Carnegie Branch has been serving the information needs of the citizens of Greene County. The Midtown Carnegie Branch has been renovated to make it a cozy neighborhood library, and to restore it to the architectural glory of its earlier years. There are more wooden library tables and comfortable reading chairs. Centrally located at the northwest corner of Central Street and Jefferson Avenue, the Midtown Carnegie Branch is at the heart of the city's Government Plaza. Hours of Operation as of October 1, 2005: Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Park Central Branch Library, an arts- and media-themed non-traditional facility, features a small collection of popular fiction and nonfiction books, a wide selection of local, national and international newspapers and magazines, all on face-out shelving, plus DVDs and CDs. More than a dozen computer stations provide downtown patrons with high-speed access to the Internet, e-mail and the Library's informative research databases. The facility includes flat-screen TVs, a self-checkout machine, gallery walls, reading cubes, ottomans and lounge chairs. Beverages, pastries and snacks are available via an interior doorway to the adjacent The Coffee Ethic. Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.

The Republic Branch Library was opened in 1961 as a consolidation of book deposits held at several locations in this western Greene County city. The branch has relocated four times as use of the library continues to grow. The storefront branch is presently located in the Merchant's Park Shopping Center, on Highway 60 East, just east of the turnoff to Highway 174. Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Library Center is the headquarters of the Springfield-Greene County Library District. The 82,000-square-foot building houses major collections of print and electronic resources. These include special collections such as business, automotive and local history and genealogy as well as fully equipped computer labs, private study rooms, state-of-the-art reference technology and many more expanded services. In addition, the Library Center includes other amenities characteristic of larger urban libraries. Those features include a 185-seat auditorium, a glass-enclosed recreational reading room, a story hour room, outdoor story garden, a 134-seat public meeting room, five other meeting rooms of various sizes and capacities, a Between Friends gift shop and MudHouse cafe. The facility is located at the intersection of Campbell and Lakewood, the second lighted intersection south of the James River Freeway. Hours of Operation: Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m.; Drive-up Window: Monday through Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.

The Library Station is the newest "destination library" in the Springfield-Greene County Library District. The 36,000-square-foot facility houses a large collection of print and electronic resources, a consumer law collection, an automotive repair collection and a local history and genealogy department. In addition, there is a fully-equipped mobile computer lab, private study rooms, state-of-the-art reference technology and numerous other expanded services. The Library Station includes other amenities characteristic of larger, urban libraries. Those features include ten different configurations of meeting rooms, a large, comfortable reading room, a Between Friends Gift Shop and a Panera Bread cafe. The branch is located on North Kansas Expressway between Kearney Street and Interstate 44. Hours of Operation: Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m.; Drive-up Window: Monday through Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.

The second newest branch in the library system opened in 1992 after the northwest Greene County community pledged its support of a local branch. The storefront branch, in the East Shopping Center just a few blocks north of Highway 160 on Jackson Street (Z Highway), is conveniently located across the street from the Willard Middle School. Hours of Operation: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The University City Public Library was established in 1939 by the vote of the citizenry to provide funds for its maintenance. With a collection of 8,000 books, the library opened in December 1939. By the mid-1960's, with a book collection ten times larger, the University City Public Library was overflowing its original building. The new building at 6701 Delmar was opened to the public in December 1969. At the University City Public Library, service to children and young adults has a high priority. The youth services department is staffed with professional librarians and paraprofessional trained to work with young people. A strong book collection is paired with a very active series of storyhours; special programs; summer reading clubs and activities; and outreach to public, private and pre-schools in University City. Taking as their theme "Children who read, succeed," our youth services department strives to make a difference in the lives of our youngest citizens. At the other end of the age spectrum, outreach to senior citizens involves regular deliveries to homebound patrons and rotating collections of large print books in some older adult residence homes. The Friends of the Library and volunteer drivers help to make this program possible. The library also functions as a community meeting place with small conference rooms and a large auditorium available to groups and organizations. Literacy tutors and their students use meeting space in the library, and there is a special collection of books for the new adult reader available for checkout. A gallery on the second floor exhibits work by professional artists seven months each year, with the remaining time reserved for art from the public schools, the University City Art Association and the annual University City Photo Show. The library is open seven days a week, including five evenings. A professional staff is available, in the library and by telephone, to provide reference and readers' advisory service. Other services include income tax form distribution, large print materials for the visually impaired, interlibrary loan, an archive of local history and dial-in access to the on-line public access catalog. Card holders may also check out materials from any of the eight member libraries in the Municipal Library Consortium.