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The St. Mark's Library is managed by St. Lawrence Library and Archives Committee (SLLAC). It is divided into two sections; about half the library is located in the Parish Hall and contains materials with broad parish appeal, readily available for browsing; the second half is located in the basement conference room and is primarily resource an reference material.
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St. Lawrence Library and Archives Committee Mission Statement
To bear witness to Christ's resurrection and to serve St. Mark's Parish and the Durango Community by:
- Promoting Christian literacy for the spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being of the people of the parish and our community;
- Providing Christian books of artistic and spiritual merit for the inspiration and education of the children who attend St. Mark's worship services;
- Preserving the identity of St. Mark's Church as a unique people of God through archiving a variety of historical documents, by exhibiting documents and photographs, and by recording the church's non-monetary gifts and memorials.
SLLAC Steering Committee:
Nellie Boyd, Chandler Jackson.
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The library is currently organized more like a bookstore than a traditional library, and the library table in the Parish Hall posts a complete list of library categories as well as directions for borrowing books. There is a card catalogue located in the Parish Hall where most books are listed by both author and subject. Our library collection, mostly books with a few CDs and DVDs, reflects the diversity in our parish. We have books on church history and contemporary social issues; we have authors from various Christian traditions and from various world religions; there are books on Celtic Christianity, Christian psychology, contemplation, art, poetry, the mystics and more. There is also a small collection of books and DVDs for youth located in one of the youth classrooms, and the library maintains a set of picture books in the sanctuary for children to use during worship services.
The library is a ministry both of the parish and for the parish. From time to time, the library sponsors a parish read or circulates articles pertinent to parish life. Library purchase requests are filled as often as possible, and donations are welcome.
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Though we are not certain when the library was established, we know that it was originally dedicated to Fr. Samuel McPhetres, who was rector of St. Mark's from 1930-1939. Sometime later, Alice Wilson took it over and moved the library from the basement into the Parish Hall. In her honor, Fr. Andrew Cooley renamed the library "The Alice Wilson Memorial Library." Since Alice's tenure, several parishioners have looked after the library. Circulation today is active, a testimony to the fact that we are a parish of readers.
In addition to managing the library, this committee is also charged with parish archiving, honoring and recording memorial gifts, and keeping our stories alive.
Making Donations to the St. Mark's Library
The library welcomes donations. However, our space is very limited and we are unable to house all the materials donated. If you would like to donate a book, CD or DVD, please follow these guidelines:
- Please remove or mark through your name and address if you would like to have it removed.
- Unless an item is special in some way (a hard-to-find book, for instance), be sure each item donated is in decent shape for public use. A well-worn book won't take the wear of circulation.
- Leave your books under the library table in the Parish Hall, marked clearly "donation to the St. Mark's Library."
We will sort the books and keep what we can use, then offer the rest to the parish or donate them to a local thrift store.
910 E. Third Ave. • Durango, CO 81301 • (970) 247-1129
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