Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System

🦖 The dinosaurs are taking over the library! 🦕

Join us for our annual Haunted Library: Jurassic Frights on Thursday, October 29 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Columbus Library! Our annual Haunted Library is a family-friendly Halloween event for kids ages birth to 17, with the activities and games geared especially toward ages 5 to 12. Come explore our prehistoric takeover with games, prizes, candy, and plenty of dinosaur fun!

Costumes are welcome, so grab your little ghosts, goblins, and paleontologists and come see what happens when Jurassic Park meets the library. 👻🦖

📅 Thursday, October 29th
⏰ 3:30–5:30 p.m.
📍 The Downtown Library

💙🧩 A HUGE THANK YOU to the Kiwanis Club of Columbus, Mississippi 🧩💙

We are so grateful to the Kiwanis Club of Columbus for their generous $1,000 donation to the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library!

This funding will go directly toward growing our Autism Resource Center and helping us better serve autistic individuals and their families in our community. We will use these funds to purchase new books and resources, therapy and sensory tools, and supplies for upcoming programming.

We invite everyone to stop by the library and check out the Autism Resource Center and the resources we already have available! And don't forget, Tuesday mornings from 8:00–9:00 a.m. are Sensory Friendly Hours at the Columbus Library. During this time, we reduce noise and other distractions to provide a calmer library experience.

📚 And there's more coming! Sensory Story Time will begin in January 2027, so be on the lookout for details about this new program!

Thank you again to the Kiwanis Club of Columbus for investing in our library and helping us create a more welcoming and accessible space for everyone. We are incredibly thankful for your support! 💙

📚✨ Calling all young readers! Books & Buddies is back in October!

This month, we’re reading The Field Guide, the first book in The Spiderwick Chronicles! 🧚‍♀️🍂🔍

We’ll meet twice during the month to read, talk about the book, and spend some time with other kids who love a good story.

📅 Wednesday, October 14th & Wednesday, October 28th
⏰ 4:00–5:45 p.m.
📍 Second Floor, Downtown Library

Ready to join? Scan the QR code on the graphic to sign up online, email Maddie at [email protected], or stop by the library to register in person.

Questions? Give Maddie a call at 662-329-5150. ❤️📖

📚 Banned Books Week starts TOMORROW, and we’re kicking things off with two great events!

🎬 MONDAY, OCTOBER 5 | 5:30–7:30 PM
Join us at Fant Library at The W for a special screening of The Librarians, a documentary exploring censorship and challenges to books across the United States. Following the film, we’ll have a short discussion and Q&A with Suzette Baker, who is featured in the documentary.

Then Tuesday night, we’re switching gears and having a little fun! 👇
🧠📚 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6 | 6:00–8:00 PM
Think you know more than a librarian? Come prove it at Trivia Night at Munson & Bros.! Grab your friends, grab a drink, and put all that random knowledge to good use!

Two nights. Two very different events. One celebration of the freedom to read! 💗📖 We hope you’ll join us for both!

🔎📚 The dead talk. You just have to know how to listen.

Our Books & Bites crew is getting into the science of solving crimes this October with Forensics by Val McDermid! From fingerprints and DNA to insects and the tiniest traces left behind, we’ll be talking about how forensic science helps uncover what really happened.

📅 Monday, October 19th
⏰ 12 p.m.
📍 Downtown Library
🥪 Bring your lunch and join the discussion!

Haven’t joined us before? That’s okay! New readers are always welcome. ❤️

📸 Flashback Friday: Waverly Ferry, 1955

Today’s Flashback Friday takes us to the banks of the Tombigbee River in 1955. Local photographer Carl E. Brown captured this image of the Waverly Ferry, which carried passengers across the river between Lowndes and Clay counties.

Pictured on the right is James Morgan Eads, the ferry’s full-time operator. Eads used the overhead cable to pull the ferry across the Tombigbee, making the trip an incredible 40 to 50 times each day. This is just a little glimpse into what getting from one side of the river to the other looked like more than 70 years ago!

📷 From the collections of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System Local History & Archives.

Ready. Set. HIRED! 💼✨

Looking for a job but not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered! Join us for a FREE Job Readiness Program designed to help you feel prepared and confident as you take the next step in your job search. Wil’Lani will walk you through creating a standout resume, completing job applications, preparing for interviews, and making a great impression on potential employers.

📅 Monday, October 12th
⏰ 5:45–6:45 p.m.
📍 The Downtown Library

Whether you’re entering the workforce, changing careers, or just need a little help getting started, come see us!

Get prepared. Get confident. Get HIRED! 🙌

🎃 October is packed at CLPLS! 📚

We have a full month of programs, book clubs, crafts, story times, teen activities, adult programs, and a few special October events you definitely won’t want to miss.

🦖 Haunted Library: Jurassic Frights! returns on Thursday, October 29th, and this year the dinosaurs are taking over the library!

You’ll also find:
📚 Friends of the Library Book Sale
🧶 The Hobby Hive
💼 Ready, Set, HIRE!
👶 Toddler & Baby Learn and Play
📖 Mother Goose Story Time
✍️ Creative Writing Group
☕ Caledonia Coffee & Crafts
🎨 Clock Out and Craft
…and plenty more throughout the month!

Save the October schedule so you don’t miss your favorites, and we’ll see you at the library! ❤️📚

📚 Looking for a book club? We’ve got TWO ways to read with us this October!

✨ Book Club Besties are diving into Babel by R.F. Kuang, meeting every Thursday at 7 p.m. at The Princess Theater. We’ll break the book into five parts throughout the month, so you can read along with us each week!

🔎 Books & Bites meets Monday, October 19th at noon at the Downtown Library to discuss Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA, and More Tell Us About Crime by Val McDermid. Bring your lunch!

New faces are always welcome! ❤️📖 Have questions about joining? Email Melissa at [email protected].