CAPE LIBRARY WELL-USED RESOURCE FOR COMMUNITY

How much money should I save for my retirement? How do I get a small business loan? What's the name of cartoon character Mr. Magoo's dog?

Last year, the library received over 17,616 requests for help and information. Over 4,000 of those questions came over the telephone.

"That's what libraries and librarians are all about," said Elizabeth Ader, director of the Cape Girardeau Public Library. "We provide books, magazines, videotapes and a lot of other things. But what we really do is much more important. We answer life's questions -- big and small."

This is national Library Week. The theme is "Libraries Change Lives."

Ader said information can really change a person's life. She sites two examples: A man turned to the library to research options for cancer treatment. A retiree became a published writer at age 67 using the library for source materials and to find outlets for his articles.

Culminating a week of special activities, today is Patron Appreciation Day. From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. the library is open for visitors. Refreshments will be served. From 6-8 p.m., a purple dinosaur will visit the library. Parents may take pictures and those participating will receive a dinosaur bookmark.

Twylla James, reference associate at Cape Girardeau Public Library, said all those questions ensure her days are never boring at the library.

"People often call and start out saying, `This is really a stupid question.' No, it's not, if it's something they've wondered about," James said.

Many requests are for information a person needs -- scholarship information, genealogy information, consumer information.

"We even help people in pricing cars," James said. "We often look up prices in the blue book and even help people figure out how to use the blue book.

"We also act as a referral service for people trying to find organizations or groups that may also help them."

James said the library also answers a lot of trivia questions. These queries often put their research skills to the test.

James said recently someone needed to know the name of cartoon character Mr. Magoo's dog. A search of the local library resources drew a blank, so they contacted a statewide reference center in Kansas City. They found the dog's name, McBaker, and ordered the reference book "Total Television" that contained the answer.

"We'll get calls from people in offices who start talking about something and get a little bet going. They call us because they need someone to find the answer," James said. "We have even gotten calls from bars before. People think they know the answer but have got to have a source."

Recently someone needed to know Ronald Reagan's middle name -- Wilson. Another person wanted sheet music for the song "Born to be Wild." They had it.

"We have lots of requests for local historical facts -- information about the flood wall or the bridge."

"When someone is really interested in something it gets us interested and we have got to find this information," James added. "We know it's somewhere, so it's like a big hunt."

There's a new twist to National Library Week this year. It's the library doing the asking.

"We know libraries and librarians make a difference, but we don't always know how," Ader said. "We are asking people of all ages to write in 100 words or less how the library has made a difference in their lives. did we help you get a job? A scholarship? An A on your term paper?"

The library will forward local stories to the American Library Association as part of a national campaign to help legislators secure additional funding.