Celebrating the Library's Centennial

The Stillwater Public Library is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2023! The library staff and board members invite you to be a part of the celebration to commemorate the last 100 years and to help sustain the library for 100 more.

When the first library opened in 1923, the City of Stillwater hired Mrs. Harriet Woodring to check out books to the community. Today, we still check out books to community members—although it's now 350,000 books each year rather than a couple hundred. Over the last century, our role has grown beyond checking out books to include everything from computer tutoring and troubleshooting to early childhood literacy and serving as the community's hub for information, opportunities and empowerment.

Check this page often and follow the library on Facebook for updates on planned events. Click here to view past Centennial Events. Want to learn more about the history of the Stillwater Public Library? Visit our history page for photos and more details.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Ale Release & StorySLAM  (Iron Monk Brewery, 21+, Thursday, May 25, 5-7 p.m.)

Join us at Iron Monk for the release of "Library CentenniAle!" Support the Library Trust, try a new ale and enjoy an evening of storytelling. A StorySLAM is a live storytelling competition in the vein of a poetry slam popularized by The Moth, a non-profit literacy society. StorySLAM participants should prepare a 5-minute story that they can tell from memory on the theme of "Library Adventures." If we have a lot of storytellers, we will draw names from a hat. The audience decides on the winner - who will win a prize. Please register, especially if you plan to tell a story! There will also be library centennial pint glasses available to purchase for $5. Sponsors for this event include: Iron Monk, Stillwater Community Foundation, and the Library Trust.

• Read-a-thon (Summer 2023)

Already planning to read this summer to earn prizes for summer reading or just because you love to read? Why not help us raise money for the Library Trust? More details about participation coming soon.

• Haunted Library (October 19-21, times TBD)

It's a haunted house, but at the library! We're working with community partners from the City of Stillwater, OSU Theatre Department, and more to help make the experience a fun and spooky event for all ages. 

• 100 Days Project  - Ongoing All Year

Learn more       Register      Download a Tracker

100 Days of Reading for 100 Years! The 100 Day Project Challenge is a commitment to doing something every day for 100 days. You choose the area of your life that you'd like to work on, decide how much time you have to give, and make your own rules. For anyone who would like to focus on reading, the library will offer you a reward for completing your 100 days (they don't have to be consecutive and all ages can participate). We would recommend committing to at least 15 minutes a day. This is a community-wide project with a built-in support system for anyone who wants to participate. There are five areas of focus: Arts, Community, Reading, Volunteering, and Health & Fitness. 

CENTENNIAL DONATIONS & DONORS

The library's goal is to raise $100,000 during the Centennial year to help prepare the library to tackle even more impactful projects in its second century.

Please consider joining us in ensuring that the library will be available to our community for the next 100 years by donating to the Library Trust. Use the Paypal link below, contact the library's business office at (405) 372-3633 x8100 or stacy.delano@stillwater.org, or send a check payable to the Stillwater Public Library Trust to Stillwater Public Library, 1107 S. Duck St., Stillwater OK, 74074. Want to learn more about the Library Trust? Click here.

Thank you to our Centennial Donors!

• In Honor of Colonel & Mrs. Albert W. Malone
• Friends of the Stillwater Public Library
• Matthew & Molly Rhoten
• Dr. Jill Rooker
• Mary Frye
• In Memory of Joanna Hamilton
• Robin and Sandeep Cornwell