Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System

10/23/2026

🎓 Flashback Friday: Dr. Robert E. Hunt

Today’s Flashback Friday recognizes Dr. Robert Edward Hunt, a longtime educator and community leader whose impact can still be seen throughout Columbus and Lowndes County.

Born in Sturgis, Mississippi, in 1897, Dr. Hunt dedicated much of his life to education. After serving as principal at schools in Eupora and Aberdeen, he became principal of Union Academy in Columbus in 1935, a position he held until 1953. That year, the newly opened Robert E. Hunt High School was named in his honor, and he served as its principal for the next decade.

His service extended far beyond the classroom. Dr. Hunt served on the Columbus Public Schools Board of Trustees, worked with the United Negro College Fund, Council on Aging, Sim Scott YMCA, and numerous other community organizations. He also served as acting president of Rust College in 1966-67.

Dr. Hunt also has an important connection to our own library history. In 1965, he served as chairman of the library committee for the E.S. Evans Memorial Library, the African American branch of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System.
Dr. Hunt died in 1978, leaving behind a legacy of education, leadership, and service to his community.

📷 From the collections of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System Local History & Archives.

10/22/2026

🦖🎃 ONE WEEK TO GO! 🎃🦖

Something prehistoric is stirring at the library and we are officially ONE WEEK AWAY from Haunted Library: Jurassic Frights!

Join us Thursday, October 29th from 3:30–5:30 p.m. as the dinosaurs take over the library for an afternoon of Halloween fun! 🦕👻

Bring the whole family, wear your costumes, and get ready to make your way through a library that has gone a little Jurassic. 😬🦖

📅 Thursday, October 29th
⏰ 3:30–5:30 p.m.
📍 The Downtown Library

The dinos are coming. Are you ready?! 🦖🎃👀

10/20/2026

We love seeing familiar faces from our library programs featured in the community! ❤️ Jennifer Hartness, who attends our writing programs here at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System, was recently featured in The Dispatch for her journey of rediscovering writing and using it as a way to heal.

Stories like Jennifer's are a wonderful reminder that writing is so much more than putting words on paper. It can be a creative outlet, a way to process life's experiences, and an opportunity to connect with others.

We're so glad Jennifer is part of our library's writing community!

And if you are interested in joining any of our writing groups, give Melissa a call at 662-329-5303 for more information!

Shortly after moving to Columbus in March, Jennifer Hartness noticed one of her neighbors taking on a project she didn’t expect.

10/16/2026

✊ Flashback Friday: The American Bosch Strike of 1956

Today’s Flashback Friday takes us to January 1956 and the first major strike at American Bosch Arma Corporation in Columbus. At 12:01 a.m. on January 16, roughly 600 of the plant’s 875 employees walked off the job following a dispute over wages. Picketers were members of Local 794 of the International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers.

The four-day strike was a turbulent one. Several people were injured during confrontations on the picket line, including union organizer Ed Blair, who was shot on the first day. Despite the violence, union and company representatives reached an agreement on January 19. The settlement included an immediate 11-cent hourly raise, another 6-cent increase the following year, expanded benefits, Memorial Day as a paid holiday, jury-duty pay provisions, and five minutes of paid wash-up time before lunch.

American Bosch had opened its Columbus operation only two years earlier. The plant manufactured electric motors used in automobile door locks, windows, windshield wipers, and other applications. At its height, the Columbus facility employed more than 1,700 people before ultimately closing in 2001.

📷 From the collections of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System Local History & Archives.

10/15/2026

📚 October's Books & Bites is coming up! 🔎

This month, we're diving into the fascinating world of forensic science with Forensics by Val McDermid! From fingerprints and DNA to insects and crime scenes, this book explores how science helps uncover the truth and gives a voice to those who can no longer speak for themselves.

📖 Join us Monday, October 19th, at 12 PM for our next Books & Bites discussion!

Bring your lunch, your thoughts on the book, and come enjoy some good conversation with fellow readers! 🥪📚

10/14/2026

🚀 Calling all future rocket scientists! 🌙

Our good friend Stormin' Bob Swanson is teaming up with fellow NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Louis Wasson for an out-of-this-world STREAM event this Saturday!

🌟 Kids ages 5–13 will learn about the physics of propulsion, explore NASA's Artemis mission to the Moon, and even get to build and launch their very own rockets! 🚀

📅 Saturday, October 17, 2026
⏰ 9:00–11:30 a.m.
📍 Sim Scott Community Center
909 20th Street North, Columbus

This event is hosted by the Columbus Recreation Department and Columbus Arts Council, and while it's not a library program, we're always happy to spread the word when our friends are doing great things in the community!

If you've ever attended one of Stormin' Bob's programs here at the library, you already know you're in for a treat! 🚀✨

Stormin' Bob Swanson - The Singing Weatherman City of Columbus, MS, Parks and Recreation Department Columbus Arts Council

10/14/2026

❤️ Y'all know we love a silly little holiday here at the library, and apparently October 14th is I Love You Day!

Now, before you start thinking we've confused October with February, I Love You Day is a little different from Valentine's Day! While Valentine's Day tends to focus on romance, I Love You Day is about celebrating ALL kinds of love. The love we have for our families, friends, neighbors, and the people who make our lives a little brighter. And that brings us to YOU! ❤️

We love our patrons, our community, and all the wonderful people who make our libraries more than just buildings full of books. Whether you visit us every week, attend our programs, bring your little ones to storytime, or simply stop by to say hello, you are part of what makes our library so special.

So, Happy I Love You Day from all of us at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System! We sure do love our community! ❤️📚

❤️ Let's spread a little love today! What's one thing you love about your local library? We'd love to hear it in the comments!

10/13/2026

🕷️🕸️ Things are getting a little creepy in the STEAM Lab this October!

Join us for a Spider Web Project as we explore both the science AND artistry behind spider webs. We’ll take a closer look at how these incredible structures work and get hands-on with a project of our own!

📅 Tuesday, October 27th
⏰ 4:00–5:00 p.m.
📍 Meeting Room, Downtown Library

Come get tangled up in a little science, technology, engineering, art, and math! 🕷️🔬🎨🕸️

10/12/2026

🎨✂️ Starting next Monday! Calling all creative kids and teens!

We’re kicking off a brand-new Creative Collective at the Downtown Library! This is a space to hang out, get creative, work on something you’ve already started, or use the supplies we provide to make something new.

📅 Every Monday beginning October 19th
⏰ 4:00–5:30 p.m.
📍 Meeting Room, Downtown Library

No sign-up required, supplies are provided, and your own crafting projects are welcome too! Come create, make, and spend some time with other creative minds. 🖌️🧶📓✨

Questions? Contact Maddie at 662-329-5150.

10/10/2026

🌀🍕 Math, pizza, patterns, and a little bit of “wait...that’s MATH?!”

We’re just over a month away from our next adults-only math afternoon, and this time we’re celebrating Fibonacci Day!

You’ve probably seen the Fibonacci sequence without even realizing it. It shows up in flowers, pinecones, spirals, art, architecture, and all kinds of places in the world around us. On November 14th, we’re going to explore what makes this famous number pattern so fascinating, with plenty of hands-on fun along the way.

✨ Fun, creative activities
🍕 Pizza provided
🍻 Drinks available for purchase from Munson & Brothers
🎼 Live Music
🌀 Discover Fibonacci numbers and patterns in unexpected places
📚 Absolutely NO math background required!

📅 Saturday, November 14th
🕑 2:00pm to 4:pm
📍 Munson & Brothers
💲 Free to attend!

Whether you love math, avoid math, or haven’t thought about a number sequence since high school, come hang out with us and discover just how creative math can be!

Hosted by the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System as part of our Infinite Sums series, made possible through support from the Simons Foundation.

Munson and Brothers Simons Foundation SciStarter