By Brittany Schaaf, St. Charles City-County Library - Beginning January 2026, most library branches will be open until 8 pm, Monday through Thursday. Augusta and Boone's Trail branch hours will remain the same at 7 p.m.
The newest addition to the Library’s Library of Things catalog has arrived. The community can now check out Oral History Kits to preserve their stories.
Patrons can use one of nearly 30 kits to record interviews with individuals, families, or groups, documenting historical events and personal experiences that may not be found in traditional records. Each kit can be reserved for pickup at any branch and includes an audio recorder, discussion questions to help get the conversation started, and the option to host your story on the Library’s SoundCloud page.
These kits offer a more intimate interview experience by placing loved ones in the interviewer's seat and allowing interviews to be conducted anywhere. “We're still working on getting that [SoundCloud] up and going, but we're hoping to upload a lot of interviews that people did specifically about Saint Charles County,” Library Services Coordinator Becca Splain said. “More local history: what life was like in the years past in Saint Charles County.”
Saint Charles County is home to many people with unique stories, and this free initiative helps share those stories with a broader audience and archive them for future generations. Some topics that could be discussed include memories of significant social events, such as the pandemic, stories from one's childhood, and other personal anecdotes.
“We're really hoping that people will check (the kits) out, especially over the holidays,” Splain said. “This is the perfect time for people to conduct an oral interview with their family members as they're seeing them over Christmas and other holidays.”
The Library purchased these kits through a grant from the Missouri Library Association’s Access Innovation Fund and has recorded dozens of stories since the kits became available in October.
Check them out on our website at stchlibrary.org/library-things.
Looking for activities to keep you busy during January?Mark your calendars for the upcoming events at the Boone Trail and Augusta Branches.
DIY Crafts: Decoupage Winter Canvases* - Saturday, January 3: 10 to 11 a.m., Monday, January 5: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, January 6: 10 to 11 a.m. Boone’s Trail Branch - adults. Join us to create two decoupage canvases (4” x 4”) using winter-themed napkins. On a small easel (not provided), these canvases make a great shelf decoration. This is a repeated class; please register for only one session.
Crafting Connections Sip & Stitch*, Monday, January 5: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Boone’s Trail Branch - adults and teens. Bring your current work-in-progress and join other yarn artists as we sip, stitch, and talk about our projects.
Crafting Connections I Love Quilts!*, Tuesday, January 6: 10 a.m to 12 noon. Augusta Branch - adults. What will you create? Meet other quilt lovers at this monthly event.
Canasta - Hand & Foot* Tuesdays, January 6, 13, 20, 27: 1 to 3:30 p.m., Thursdays, January 8, 15, 22, 29: 1 to 3:30 p.m. Boone’s Trail Branch - adults. Need to get out of the house? Learn to play Hand & Foot Canasta!
Coffee and Conversation Thursdays, January 8, 15, 22, 29: 9 to 10 a.m. Augusta Branch - adults. Enjoy a cup of coffee, a sweet treat, and conversation with others in the community.
Crafting Connections Yarn Arts, Thursdays, January 8, 15, 22, 29: 2 to 4 p.m. Augusta Branch - adults and teens. Other yarn enthusiasts will keep you company while you work on your knit, crochet, or embroidery project.
"Read to a Dog" Tail Waggers Love on a Leash*, Thursday, January 8: 6 to 7 p.m. Boone's Trail Branch - children. Kids can practice reading aloud to an attentive, adorable dog.
Make-It-Monday*, Monday, January 12: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Augusta Branch - adults. Grab a friend, come to the Augusta Branch, and work on your unfinished projects! Spend all day or just a little while.
Book Discussion - "Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee*, Monday, January 12: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Boone's Trail Branch - adults. In the early 1900s in Korea, teenaged Sunja fell for a wealthy stranger. When she discovers she is pregnant, and that her lover is married, she accepts an offer of marriage from a minister passing through on his way to Japan. Her decision to abandon her home and reject her son’s powerful father sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations.
Book Discussion - "Call Your Daughter Home” by Deb Spera*, Thursday, January 15: 11 a.m. to 12 noon. Boone's Trail Branch - adults. In 1924, South Carolina, three women came to a crossroads. They seemed to have nothing in common, yet as they united to stand up to injustices that long plagued their small town, they found strength in the bond that ties women together.
Crafting Connections: English Paper Piecing*, Tuesday, January 20: 2 to 4 p.m. Augusta Branch - adults. Learn how to English Paper Piece, a fun method of sewing fabric pieces together.
Book Discussion - "All the Colors of the Dark” by Chris Whitaker*, Monday, January 26: 2 to 3 p.m. Augusta Branch - adults. This novel is a decades-spanning mystery, set in Monta Clare, Missouri. It includes a missing-person mystery, a serial-killer thriller, a love story, and a unique twist in each.
*Register at stchlibrary.org/events or call Boone’s Trail at 636-398-6200 or Augusta at 636-228-4855 for more information about classes.
The Boone’s Trail and Augusta branches are open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 noon. All St. Charles City-County Library branches will be closed on Thursday, January 1, for New Year’s Day and Monday, January 19, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
