Patrons of the Cape Girardeau Public Library can officially say they get their books from Missouri’s top library, for at least the next year.

The library received the 2024 Library of the Year Award from the Missouri Library Association during the association’s annual conference Thursday, Sept. 26, in Kansas City.

“I’m incredibly proud to lead this organization,” said library director Katie Earnhart, though she added she was just one part of the library staff as a whole.

Earnhart also credited the Cape Girardeau community for its support in helping the library meet its goals.

“We wouldn't have the usage stats that we have seen increase if it wasn't for the community showing support for the library,” she said.

The Cape Girardeau Public Library saw a 13% increase in library card sign-ups, a 7.25% increase in library visits and a 2.5% increase in circulation between July 2023 and July 2024, which Earnhart said helped them clinch the award.

To apply, libraries provided these statistics, a short statement in favor of their selection and up to 10 letters of support from community members, patrons and former board members.

Earnhart cited more than just improved statistics as to why the Cape Girardeau Public Library won its award. She said the transition to the Missouri Evergreen resource-sharing consortium in July 2023 also put it over the edge. The consortium joined the Cape Girardeau library with more than 70 others statewide to share their catalogs of material.

“It increased our collection size from a couple hundred thousand items to 4 million items,” Earnhart said.

Joining the consortium also helped settle a boundary dispute with the neighboring Riverside Regional Library. The Cape Girardeau Public Library’s district had been constrained for generations to the 1965 city limits. Patrons who lived outside of them could not access materials from the library for free.

With the move to Evergreen, both Cape Girardeau and Riverside material became freely available to anyone living in Cape Girardeau County.

Earnhart said the association also may have considered the library’s handling of a series of meetings over the year where people expressed disapproval about books containing explicit material being available to children.

“We went through six months’ worth of some unhappy, stressful board meetings, and it tested us as a library and a library board. It is something we’ve emerged from and we’ve found we have great community support in how our library operates in this community,” she said.

While this marks the first time the Cape Girardeau Public Library has been named Library of the Year, it is not the first Missouri Library Association award for the district. Marketing coordinator Whitney Burton received the association’s Public Relations Achievement Award in 2022.

The association offers 14 different awards recognizing employees, legislators, partner organizations and the libraries themselves for their contributions to various library services.

To celebrate the award, the Cape Girardeau Public Library will host an open house reception from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, free to the public. Activities include crafts for children, a photo booth and a T-shirt giveaway.