RIVERSIDE REGIONAL LIBRARY FILLS VOID IN RURAL AREAS

JACKSON -- Almost 40 years ago Riverside Regional Library was created by voters of Cape Girardeau, Scott and Perry counties to provide library services to small, rural school districts and rural residents of the counties.

Today, the library center in Jackson and its five branches at Scott City, Benton, Morley, Altenburg and Perryville provide total library services to 53,000 rural residents and school districts that had no access to library services.

The Riverside Regional Library District was created in 1955. It is funded by a 7-cent property tax levy in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties and a 9-cent levy in Perry County.

Residents of a city or area served by a municipal public library do not pay the Riverside library tax. Instead, their library tax supports their municipal library.

Riverside librarian Elizabeth Link said the district is unique. "There are only a few like it in the state where two or more counties have joined together to create a library district," said Link.

Link said the library district's policy is to make available to all people, schools and groups within the district an organized collection of materials that meet needs and interests of its patrons. Library services are free to everyone in the district.

The district is governed by a 15-member board of directors. Each of the three county commissions appoints five members to a county library board, and they automatically become members of the district's board of directors. "It's somewhat similar to a loose confederation," said Link. "Each county library board contracts with the library district to provide library services in their county."

The district initially was created to provide library services to small school districts that did not have financial resources to maintain a full- service school library. Starting with a collection of 7,000 books donated in 1955 by the Missouri State Library, the library district's collection has grown to more than 185,000 books, printed materials, record albums and cassettes, and some 5,000 videocassettes.

At first, the district served the rural school district libraries with a traveling "bookmobile." In the 1970s, as smaller school districts consolidated into larger ones and gravel farm-to-market roads were improved, making it easier to get to town, the bookmobile was phased out. In its place, branch libraries were opened at five places not served by a municipal library.

Link said the district has built collections in each branch to that they are as self sustaining as possible. The collections include books; talking books; large-print books for the visually impaired; periodicals; reference books; record albums; cassettes; and videocassettes of popular and classic movies, travel, and reviews for the General Education Diploma test.

"If a branch library receives a request that can't be filled, the main central library in Jackson can provide the book, videocassette, or other service," said Link. "The library district is also a member of the State Interloan Library Program. If we don't have it, we can get it from a member library."

The center in Jackson also houses an extensive genealogy collection maintained by the Cape Girardeau County Genealogical Society.

"During the summer we get a lot of folks who stop by the library during their vacations to do some genealogical research," said Link.

Riverside Regional Library

Founded in 1955, the library district serves rural areas of Cape Girardeau, Scott and Perry.

Systemwide circulation: 1993, 402,587; 1992, 386,776.

Jackson

The central library is at 204 S. Union.

Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Altenburg

Branch is next to city hall.

Hours: Tuesdays, 1 p.m.-7 p.m.; Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon.

Perryville

Branch is on North Jackson street north of town square.

Hours: Mondays through Fridays, 11 a.m.- 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Scott City

Branch is at 2106 Main in Scott City Plaza

Hours: Tuesdays through Thursdays, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Plans are under way to expand hours beginning Sept. 1.

Benton

Branch is on east side of Highway 61 in the old ASCS building near the courthouse.

Hours: Mondays through Wednesdays and Fridays, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

Morley

Branch is in Community Building.

Hours: Mondays through Wednesdays and Fridays, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.;

Saturdays, 8 a.m.-11 a.m.