Built for Belonging

When we got involved with the Clark Family Branch, part of the St. Louis County Library system (SLCL), it was because we believed in what a library like this can do for a community. A place where people feel welcome. Supported. Inspired.

From the moment you walk in, you get a feel for what this place is really about.

To the left is the Post Event Space. Authors speak here. Neighbors gather. It opens into a courtyard where folks sit with a book, sip a coffee, or just take a quiet minute to themselves.

Upstairs, the children’s space is alive. There’s a playhouse, a fire engine, magnetic walls, light tables. It’s full of color and motion. Just around the corner, teens are deep in their own creative world in the Unity Foundation Teen Lab—recording audio, building with 3D printers, designing on Macs. Big ideas starting small.

The Emerson History & Genealogy Center is quieter. People come here to digitize old photos, preserve family stories, and trace where they come from. It’s not loud work—but it means a lot.

Back downstairs, entrepreneurs are getting to work. The Small Business Center gives them a place to plan, meet, and build.

And throughout the building—light, warmth, books, art, study rooms, and spaces where people can just sit and breathe.

This library feels alive.

The Real Impact

When we made our gift in 2022, we weren’t thinking about legacy.

We were thinking about what would happen next.

A kid finding their first favorite book. A teenager discovering something they can’t get anywhere else. A business owner starting from scratch. A grandparent saving a memory that might’ve been lost forever.

This library is for them. For all of us. That’s what we believed in from the start.

What’s Happening This October

There’s always something going on. Just a few of this month’s highlights:

• Elizabeth George Author Event – Oct 3
• Kranzberg Jazz Jam – Oct 2
• Music & Movement for Kids – Oct 22
• Trick or Treat 101 – Oct 29
• Stitch & Sip: Crochet Pumpkins – all month

You can check the full calendar here: slcl.org/events-classes.

Why Literacy Still Matters

Literacy has always meant more than reading to me.

It’s about access. Dignity. Possibility.

When someone learns to read, it unlocks something. They can apply for a job. Help with homework. Understand a lease. Start a business. Write their story down. Change their life.

That’s why I believe in libraries.

They don’t just lend books. They offer tools. Support. A place to try, to learn, and to grow—no matter who you are or where you’re starting from.

That’s what this branch stands for. And that’s why we believed in it from the beginning.