Cowles Library

Any exciting summer plans? 🌞 In the summer of 1934, a spirited group of Drake University students and alumni packed their bags for Lake Okoboji with a bold idea — a summer stock theatre company. They rented a stage inside city hall and pulled off six productions in a single summer. 🎭 Among them was Jane Alexander, Drake Class of 1933, who stepped away from her graduate studies at Yale to join the troupe. Alexander went on to teach drama at Stephens College in Missouri — and the Okoboji spark traveled with her. In 1958, Stephens College brought summer theatre back to the lake, launching an immersive summer program for their students. That tradition, rooted in the creativity and ambition of those original Drake performers, continues to this day!

Happy Retirement to our best dog and the heart of our campus, Griff II! From all your friends at Cowles Library, here's to a well-deserved retirement filled with belly rubs, treats, and all the leisure reading you can dream of. 📚🐾

On this day in 1850, Aaron Ward Harlan, an Iowa pioneer, adventurer, merchant, soldier, and farmer, set out for California, hoping to strike it rich in the Gold Rush. The Harlan Family papers in the Drake University Archives includes Harlan's journal, letters he wrote to his wife during the Civil War, and many pages of family history. His fascinating Gold Rush journal, which begins on May 1, 1850 and ends on September 17 when he reached Sacramento, has been digitized and can be read here: https://issuu.com/drakeuniversity/docs/harlan_gold_combined

Ready to give your books some SPARKLE? 💎

Join us TOMORROW for our Cowles Crafternoons Book Bedazzling Event! Bring your own book, notebook, or any item you want to transform into something FABULOUS.

📍 Cowles Library
⏰ Friday, May 1, 3:00-5:00 pm
✂️ Supplies provided
📚 Your creativity required

🏃‍♀️‍➡️🏃‍➡️Do you recognize these athletes?🏃🏃‍♀️
We need your help identifying athletes from Drake Relays history! Visit: https://library.drake.edu/relaysphotos to browse a gallery of 100+ unidentified photographs and submit your identifications.

We're taking it back today with a full day of Reading Rainbow in our Reading Room—because you can take a look, it's in a book! 🌈

Plus: Keep your eyes peeled for our 2000s snack cart rolling through the stacks. Get caught studying and you might just score some nostalgic treats.

Stop by the Olmsted Breezeway for Books on the Go! Check out a book, grab a bookmark or sticker, and learn more about Cowles Library. 9:00am-2:00pm!

Happy National Library Workers Day! 🌟

Today we celebrate the amazing STARS who make Cowles Library possible. These are the ones making Cowles the intellectual heart of Drake by ensuring information is accessible, teaching us to evaluate information critically, and building collections that serve our community.

To our library faculty and staff -- thank you for everything you do.

👉 NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK BINGO
Pick up your card at the info desk and start playing:
✓ Get a bingo = pizza coupon + entry into our gift card drawing

Find Your Joy with us all week:
🌈 Tuesday 4/21: Reading Rainbow Reading Room
Enjoy classic episodes all day in our cozy Reading Room
📖 Wednesday 4/22: Books on the Go!
Visit us in the Olmsted Breezeway to check out books and learn more

✨ Stay tuned for more surprises throughout the week!

Come by Cowles Library and find your joy!