The Primary Roles of the Columbia Public Library are to be a:

• Popular Materials Library featuring current, high-demand, high-interest materials in a variety of formats for persons of all ages. Best sellers, favorite periodicals, newspapers, computers, and audio/visual materials will be available for the enlightenment, enjoyment and education of its patrons. The staff is to be knowledgeable and ready to assist with all requests and needs. A monthly newsletter and newspaper articles are used for promotion of available programs and resources. The library’s location, parking lot and attractive facilities promote browsing and research.

• Preschoolers’ Door to Learning, where children are encouraged to develop an interest in reading and learning. This is done through preschool programs and a variety of popular materials for reading, listening, and viewing for children. A room is provided for children to satisfy their curiosity through books, games and puzzles while parents locate materials on parenting, child-care, education and child development. Area preschools are free to borrow materials of all kinds from our collections or through Inter-library loans.

• An Educational Reference Center for assisting students of all ages in meeting educational objectives established during their formal courses of study. The library is available as a study site and as a source for research of all kinds through up-to-date reference sources. The library is available to assist schools by supplying supplementary print and audio/visual materials as assignments as needed. Schools may reserve special materials to meet classroom assignments and teachers may bring students for checking out books and/or for library instruction. The staff is available for helping students locate subjects through reference, the computer catalog, computer software, Internet and other sources. Students from college, universities, or technical schools will be assisted through the location of materials from higher institutions and the providing of study facilities. Educational aids are provided for personal learning objectives such as self-improvement, job-related development, hobbies and cultural interests. Reference collections are being developed in these areas and the staff is ready to search for other materials through Inter-library loan.