I'd like to introduce you all to a resource that has been quietly growing in our backyard, so to speak.

The first meeting of the Missouri Digitization Committee took place in 2000. Their goal was to provide vision and coordination for digitization projects in Missouri. In 2003, they were successful in developing a centralized, searchable database of metadata from Missouri digital collections.

"Great!" you say. "What does it mean to me?"

Simply put, it means that you can access a website titled Virtually Missouri, that contains digitized versions of many historical Missouri documents.

For example, let's say that you would like to view the June 1847 edition of the Southern Presbyterian Review, a publication last in print in 1885. Want to read about the 1908 society murder that took place in Hannibal? How about researching Katz Drugstore or other historic Kansas City businesses? Want to reminisce about Truman's Whistle Stop Tour in 1948?

You can find all that and more at Virtually Missouri, where documents and photographs are presented in a searchable database.

Virtually Missouri is available on all the public computers at the Marshall Public Library or at any personal computer at www.virtuallymissouri.org. Take a look! It's your history.

The Missouri Digitization Planning Project is funded by LSTA (Library Services & Technology Act) funds distributed by the federal Institute of Museum & Library Services and administered through the grant programs of the Missouri State Library, www.sos.mo.gov/library, a division of the Secretary of State's Office, Robin Carnahan, Secretary of State.

New books

Fiction

-- "All's Well That Ends" -- Gillian Roberts

-- "The Terror" -- Dan Simmons

-- "Skylight Confessions" -- Alice Hoffman

-- "The Successor" -- Stephen Frey

-- "Hannibal Rising" -- Thomas Harris

-- "The Knitting Circle" -- Ann Hood

Non-fiction

-- "Calvin Coolidge" -- David Greenberg

-- "State of Denial" -- Bob Woodward

-- "Supreme Conflict" -- Jan Crawford Greenburg

-- "Born on a Blue Day" -- Daniel Tammet

Library events

Preschool Story Time -- each Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. Games, stories, crafts. Appropriate for children approximately 3 to 7 years old.

Pajama Story Time -- each Monday at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Wear your jammies or come as you are. Games, crafts, stories.

Wee Ones Lap Time Story Time -- for babies up to 24 months old, each Wednesday at 10 a.m. Interactive finger play and song time for mothers and babies.

How can I support the Marshall Public Library?

Bring your receipts from Patricia's into the library when you're returning or checking out books. Each month, Patricia's Foods will donate a portion of the collected receipts to the library.

When purchasing items from Amazon.com, use the link to Amazon that appears on the Marshall Public Library's website: www.marshallpubliclibrary.com. A portion of your purchase will go to support the library.

Consider joining Friends of the Marshall Libraries. Membership forms are available at the library.

Honor a mentor. Celebrate a friend. Commemorate an event. A gift to the Marshall Public Library is a unique and enduring way to pay tribute to friends and family. Your generosity will be a lasting source of joy and enrichment for the community.

For additional information, please call (660) 886-3391 with any questions.