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Library Blog

Libraries, Liberty, and the Freedom to Read Freely

July 17, 2025 by kmerwin

By Kelly Noble
Gold Mine Processing Manager

Kelly Noble Freedom to Read Liaison LR.jpg

America turns 249 years old this July 4th. People celebrate this day with parades, barbecues, collective gatherings, hot dogs, potato salad, and fireworks.

We celebrate independence and freedom after years of war, national unity, a new cultural identity, democratic ideals shaped by the newly established government, and a period of reflection on what our new country fought so valiantly for.

This is an important opportunity to reflect on what this country has been through over the past two and a half centuries. Many aspects of our history are not pretty.

Opinions vary decisively on the difficult times behind us and the challenging road ahead.

But on this day, we could at least consider the importance of Independence Day and how one can promote life, liberty, and democracy. The notion that Americans can read freely, without the government telling us what to read, is an indispensable gift of the American Revolution. I call this a gift because many people in the world do not have this luxury.

America is replete with local libraries. These are public places where you can borrow a book, research a topic, hear differing viewpoints, use a computer, reserve a meeting room … all for free. Libraries provide information to the public. Free access to information is vital to a democratic society, and an informed citizenry is key to maintaining a free and fair government.

At The Community Library in Ketchum, library cards are free to anyone from anywhere. Just bring in your picture identification and you’ll have access to tens of thousands of titles, plus computers and printers, digital assets, archival documents, personal help from knowledgeable librarians, and more. In addition, the Library offers over 10,000 public programs annually – from Story Time to English Language Learning to world renowned speakers.

Libraries are more than a repository of books; they are symbols of democracy.

Providing fee and accessible information and delivering lectures on a wide variety of topics, including those with a minority viewpoint, is at the heart of what libraries do. Information is free so that every citizen can judge the validity of a subject or policy on their own. Americans can read and think for themselves without government oversight or censorship.

That right is found and guaranteed in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

On this national holiday, please exercise your First Amendment rights by visiting your local library, attending a lecture, researching a topic, and becoming informed on a subject by doing your investigation. There is no need to have others interpret a policy for you. As an American, you have the right to read freely and make your judgments.

I do not believe it is accidental that every library I see has an American Flag nearby. Libraries were a part of this country even before we were a formal country. The oldest library in continuous operation is at Harvard College, which was founded in 1638.

I love quoting Benjamin Franklin, who started the first lending library. “The institution of a library I consider an essential part of any civilized society.” From Franklin’s autobiography, “This library afforded me the means of improvement by constant study…”

I do not think more needs to be said. Libraries are critically important to our nation. Grab a hotdog, a Coke, and a book, and celebrate this national holiday in the true spirit of American fashion.

Filed Under: Stories from the Stacks

Acclaimed Water Ballet at the Sun Valley Resort

July 16, 2025 by kmerwin

By Jack Tenold, Library Programs and Communications Intern

Hidden History: July 28, 1950: This week, we look back at the dazzling 1950 Sun Valley Water Ballet, a crowd-favorite staged at the Sun Valley Lodge Pool. Directed by Dorothy Collins and inspired by Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, the show blended synchronized swimming, dance, and elaborate costumes into a polished amateur production. Though it remained a beloved summer tradition for over a decade, the Water Ballet came to an end in the early 1960s.

Reposted from the July 28, 1950, issue of The Valley Sun newspaper.

The opening performance of the 1950 Sun Valley Aquacade was celebrated last Sunday evening at the Lodge Pool before a capacity crowd of over 200 enthusiastic guests. Adopting last year’s theme of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite,” the current show embraces a number of improvements and modifications which provide a style and finesse rarely, if ever, found in an amateur production. So, even though you may have seen the ’49 aquacade, you are in for a grand treat when you see this new one.

Recognizing the difficulties inherent in such a theme, Director Dorothy Collins has approached the problem with great sensitivity. As a result, the interpretation is one of beauty and subtlety. Combining colorfully costumed stage dancing with cleverly executed swimming numbers, the director has brilliantly succeeded in bringing to life the story of Tchaikovsky’s tiny heroine and her dreams of a fairy prince. As the sleeping child is carried to many strange and exciting lands, the audience finds itself reliving the wonderful adventure.

And since the pattern is interspersed with some special features including a fine diving sequence and a particularly clever clown routine, the journey is one of continuous entertainment. From the very moment when Merwin Haskel and John Creer, in the role of pool attendants, open the festivities with an extremely humorous bit of ad-libbing to the colorful finale, the show moves along with dispatch and polish.

Truly a fine program in every way, the Water Ballet of 1950 takes its place among the most outstanding entertainment features ever presented at Sun Valley.

Along with the praise owed to producer Dorothy Collins and her two assistants, Mary Collins and Carol Richards, special mention is due to John Creer who serves as stage manager, Eddie Seagle for his fine settings, Nate Scott who handles the lighting, Al Cimaglia who does a superb job of announcing, and Mrs. E. N. Sexton of Ketchum for her effective costume designing.

Already presented on two occasions, the Water Ballet will be staged at frequent intervals throughout the season. Because of the limited seating facilities of the Lodge Pool, and because of the great popularity of the show, it may be necessary to issue tickets in order to ensure all guests securing seats. Such tickets will be distributed by the Sports Desks at both the Lodge and the Inn and may be had for the asking. Watch the bulletin boards for announcements of the next presentation.

# # #

The Library’s Center for Regional History strives to deepen a sense of place in central Idaho through preservation, research, education, and exhibits. Research requests can be made here.

Filed Under: Fresh from the Stacks, Hidden History, Library Blog

Book around the Block 2025

July 15, 2025 by kmerwin

Celebrating the Library’s 70th Birthday!
Wednesday, August 20
4:30pm – 6:30pm
4th & Walnut in Ketchum

We’re going to party like it’s 1995! So dress up and come dance, play, explore, hunt, paint, eat, drink, and be happy…

…at The Community Library, Gold Mine Thrift, Gold Mine Consign, and Wood River Museum of History and Culture.

We’ll be dancing through the decades with live music, hosting an outdoor adventure zone for kids, giving away books, painting in watercolor, and offering discounts at Gold Mine Thrift.

You’ll also find a pop-up exhibit of retro fashion, the Time Warp Photo Booth, a scavenger hunt (with prizes!), and more. Plus, FREE birthday cake, pizza, tacos, ice cream, and refreshments! 

We’re going to “book around the block” (and through history) for literacy, history, shopping, community, food, and fun, with activities for all ages! We heartily encourage you to DRESS in 1950s attire, too … you may win a prize!

Book around the Block is supported by Sun Valley Resort, Taqueria al Pastor, Smoky Mountain Pizza, Mountain High Creamery, and On the Hop.

Filed Under: Fresh from the Stacks, Library Blog

Book Review: An Unfinished Love Story

July 9, 2025 by kmerwin

Director of Library Operations Pam Parker recommends An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Like many Gen X Americans, my knowledge of the political landscape of 1960s is spotty at best. Doris Kearns Goodwin, arguably the foremost living writer on the American presidency, has changed that entirely. Her recently published book, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s (2024), dives into the deep end of the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson presidencies, and the political upheaval that the Sixties ignited.  

Her experiences within the White House as a fellow combined with her late husband’s reflections as a presidential speechwriter of the Great Society era make this personal memoir of the 1960s a powerful insider story of twentieth century American political history. 

Doris begins the story with her husband’s odyssey into American politics. Richard ‘Dick’ Goodwin began his career in politics on John F. Kennedy’s 1959 campaign for presidency. He continued within President Kennedy’s White House as a speechwriter and carried forward with President Johnson after JFK’s assassination in 1963.  

The rumpled-suited, cigar-smoking young man from Brookline, Massachusetts, would work directly with these two American presidents. Dick is also credited with the “Great Society” concept that prompted the passage of civil and voting rights. Among his many achievements as speechwriter is President Johnson’s “We Shall Overcome” speech delivered to urge the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 in the shadow of JFK’s assassination. 

By 1968, Doris was undergoing her own rise to prestige in Washington, DC. Having graduated from Harvard with a Ph.D. focused on the Amercian presidency, she earned a White House Fellowship. She would serve under a somewhat beleaguered President Johnson, whose struggles included the Vietnam war. She assumed her White House role having recently authored an article for The New Republic titled, “How to Remove LBJ.”  We get the sense that her willingness to speak up is what led to her atypically close alliance with President Johnson. Like Dick, she was invited to the Johnson’s Texas ranch where she befriended the family, including Lady Bird, and swam in the pool as President Johnson reflected on political strategies.  

President Johnson was set on her working with him on his memoirs as well as his presidential library plans. She reluctancy agreed as she had hoped to return full-time to her academic position at Harvard. For one, he was not an easy person to work for, according to many who found themselves in his inner circle.  

Doris would later author a biography, Lyndon Johnson and The American Dream (1976), leveraging her uncanny ability to bring presidential history to life. During her career as an author, she has also penned biographical accounts of the Roosevelts and earned the Pulitzer Prize for Team of Rivals (2010) about Lincoln’s presidency. These works often reveal the personal struggles alongside legislative triumphs of these leaders. 

Worth noting is that Doris and Dick’s careers did not cross paths during the Sixties. They eventually met at Harvard’s Institute of Politics in 1972. A lifetime of shared reflections on their political careers – and marriage – began there. Dick and Doris had reached different conclusions about Johnson, we learn. For Dick, the war in Vietnam had lured him toward the anti-war candidate Eugene McCarthy and in support of his close friend, Robert Kennedy, when he entered the race presidential race only to be assassinated late in 1968. The author’s account of this fateful year in our political history is particularly memorable, as she navigates the political undercurrents masterfully.  

Through the personal and professional stories of the Goodwins, we find ourselves looking at the Sixties as an insider to the ideological struggles of the Sixties, and we are reminded that strife is not unique to our present times. 

By 2015, the couple decided to undertake the project of a lifetime, sorting through some 300 boxes of Goodwin political memorabilia. Dick’s advancing age aside, they spent each Sunday making their way through papers and ephemera. These reflections, which involved a mix of professional tragedy and comedy, I found infinitely interesting. Sadly, Richard ‘Dick’ Goodwin was diagnosed with cancer during this time and passed away in 2018. Doris continued writing the book they imagined finishing together. The result is this unforgettable memoir that pays tribute to their shared legacy in American politics of the 1960s.  

When she speaks at Sun Valley Writers Conference this year, this librarian will be in the audience cheering her triumphs as author and witness to American presidential history. 


Pulitzer Prize winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin will be featured at the Sun Valley Writers Conference on July 19. Her latest work, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s (2025), adds to her collection of award-winning work, which includes: Leadership in Turbulent Times (2018), The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism (2013), Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (2010), Wait Till Next Year (1997) and No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt (1994). The talk will be streamed at SVWC.org, and you can check out these titles at The Community Library.  

Filed Under: Library Blog, Staff Reviews: Books, Films, Music, and More

Faces of the Fourth

July 9, 2025 by Liam Guthrie

Sayler Peavey, Wood River Museum of History and Culture Intern

Men stand on a dirt street with a large American flag and a parade float.
Days of the Old West parade float in Hailey, Martyn Mallory Photograph Collection, Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History (F 00332)

A small-town celebration proudly marches down a muddy street, with brass instruments, horses trotting past storefronts, spectators and floats. The faces may be unfamiliar, but the feeling is timeless—patriotism, community, and the excitement of Independence Day. This is one of many images captured by Martyn Mallory, one of the Wood River Valley’s early photographers. His remarkable collection, which consists of thousands of photographs documenting early life in the region, was thankfully recovered and preserved, allowing us to see the past through his lens today. Born in Utah, Mallory moved to Hailey, Idaho when he was three and grew up to be a community member who documented so many events in the early days of the Wood River Valley. A popular event was the “Days of the Old West” parade, one of several celebrations many attended. 

This year is the 142nd annual “Days of the Old West” in the Wood River Valley. An event that has been cherished and celebrated since 1883 with the 4th of July parade being led by the grand marshal, followed by floats, horses and much more that the community has to offer. The very first ‘Days of the Old West’ parade rolled down Hailey’s dusty Main Street on July 4, 1883, when miners and ranchers swapped work clothes for bunting and brass bands. The parade was led by the Miners Union and included Grand Marshal W.T. Riley and Assistant Marshals J.A. Rupert, Mans Coffin, Don McKay, and S.J. Friedman. Aside from a pause during World War II, the tradition has marched on every summer since. This year the grand marshal for the Independence Day parade was awarded to the Wood River Women’s Foundation which is celebrating its 20th anniversary of philanthropic work, positive community impact and pooled grant making for small businesses within the Wood River Valley. 

Being awarded grand marshal isn’t just an honor – it’s a recognition bestowed for hometown pride, leadership, and contributions from those who were able to leave that lasting mark on our amazing community. Having familiar faces leading the parade is an amazing way to keep homage and tradition alive and well. It’s a truly special job for the Independence Day celebration in this valley. It’s not just someone waving to you from a convertible but instead, it’s your neighbor, former teacher, or the individual who helped pursue your goals or support you while trying to keep a small nonprofit going. It helps remind us that leadership and compassion doesn’t always happen in the public eye or on the big stage; it happens in boardrooms, backyards, and through acts of kindness, generosity and encouraging acts. When The Grand Marshal rounds that corner onto Main Street, it’s a shared moment of pride and deep embedded history—not just for the honoree, but for all in the community that knows them and their impact. 

So, long before social media and text alerts, history rolled past on a summer day—reminding us of what we grew from and the traditions we are continuing to celebrate.

Note this story was originally published in July of 2025 in the Idaho Mountain Express.

Filed Under: "Rear View" from Regional History, Library Blog Tagged With: Fourth of July, Hailey, Rear View

A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean

July 7, 2025 by kmerwin

Undertaken, by the command of His Majesty, for Making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere

books A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean James Cook

From the Library’s Special Collections comes three rare volumes, narrating the famous voyage of Captain James Cook and his colleagues Clerke, Gore, and King in the years 1776 to 1780 around the world on board of the “Resolution” and “Discovery”.

Performed under the direction of Captains Cook, Clerke, and Gore, in His Majesty’s ships the Resolution and Discovery; in the years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, and 1780

Vol. I and II written by Captain James Cook. Vol. III by Captain James King. Published by order of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. More here.

Find more of the Library’s Special Collections here.

Filed Under: Collection Highlights, Fresh from the Stacks, Library Blog

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