Like Jack Kerouac, the Joplin Public Library is going “On the Road.”
It will hold book swap, and it has “Great Expectations” for what it hopes will be the first of many with area businesses, from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Joplin Avenue Coffee Co., 506 S. Joplin Ave.
Admission to the event is free and open to the public; coffee is available for purchase. Snacks and some coffee will be provided.
“This is a brand-new thing we’re doing. We are planning on making this a reoccurring thing, a monthly event,” said Derek Moser, adult program librarian for the Joplin Public Library. “What we are trying to do is partner with local businesses.
“In the future we are looking to partner with other businesses, too, like breweries, for example,” he said. “The concept is taking the library to a different space.”
Moser said this is not an opportunity to dispose of used and unwanted books. “Don’t bring your old encyclopedias,” he said. Instead, it’s a chance to share “Beloved” literature, history and other favorites.
“What I would suggest is to bring a book that is meaningful to you that at the same time you are willing to part with and share that book with someone else,” he said. “Bring your book, get a new book.”
The library and Joplin Avenue Coffee Co. have worked up pairing guides for participants based upon book genres and drinks available for purchase.
“We have these pairing guides that we have created, similar to wine and cheese,” Moser said. “So, if you like romance, they have a drink there called Love You A Latte. Science fiction is All Jacc’d Up.”
Participants can swap books with others or choose from titles provided by the Joplin Public Library.
Jeana Gockley, director of the Joplin Public Library, said in a statement: “We are excited to offer a new literary-themed program to our community. By partnering with great, local institutions, such as the Joplin Avenue Coffee Company, we hope to give our community a reason to gather together, enjoy the company of like-minded individuals with similar interests, and to embrace the new — be it a burgeoning friendship or a new literary obsession.”
Leave a Reply