Written by Catherine Renshaw

What can we say about a library that hasn’t already been said?  Things like “When I got my library card, that’s when my life began” (Rita Mae Brown) and “Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future” (Ray Bradbury).  What we can say is that the library being established in Odell this fall of 2017 is your library, that it’s going to be much easier for those in our larger community to visit a library, and that your library is a part of the effort of continuing to build our community, improve our community, and vitalize our community.
We can say that the library is about community. One of the first steps in establishing a library is finding a place to house all the materials that will be shared, to have a place for users of the library to gather, read, talk and take part in the many programs that are now just dreams.  Your library is the result of communication, cooperation and generosity on the part of many;  the Old West Trails Center board (Barbara Zarybnicky, Judy Baumann, Marilyn Lytle, Larry and Robin Stanosheck, Dave Anderson, Rick Masek) that has been willing to share space with your library, the Odell Community Foundation (Larry Stanosheck, Lynn Henrichs, Carmen Spitsnogle) that is willing to be part of accepting and disbursing donations, people like Carl and Marilyn Lytle, who donated the electric piano given in honor of their daughter Carlyn so that it  can be sold and help fund the library, others like the Blackwood Family, the Sandman Family Foundation, the Ken Zarybnicky Family, the George Rupprecht Family, Kent and Nancy Wilson,  and community leaders such as the Village of Odell Board (Mark Billesbach, Lynn Henrichs, Perry Gydesen, Spencer Sutton, Larry Stanosheck).  This sort of cooperation is exactly what vital communities do.
We can say that your library exemplifies energy, hopefulness, and responsibility on the part of the women whose vision is being made real: Janelle Gegg, Joyce Kostal, Shannon Novotny, Amanda McKinney, Melina Kostal, and Catherine Renshaw.  They now assume the duties of the Board of Directors for the library and have taken upon themselves the tasks of gathering books and other materials to be shared, searching out funding, planning for fixtures, cataloging materials, and volunteering during open hours.
We can say that your library and the 1885 refurbished bank that houses both the Old West Trails Center and the library is one of the most beautiful and unique buildings anywhere.  The large limestone blocks that comprise the walls, the additions to the building that make the it  accessible and comfortable, the exquisite murals that grace the interior, are unmatched, and make the building an integral part of the Odell Community and a source of pride.  
We can say what Bill Shores says in his book, The Cathedral Within which you will find in the Odell Nebraska Public Library: that we can make the most of life and do something that counts. Like the cathedral builders of an earlier time, people who are visionaries share a single desire: to create something that endures, who tap into the vast resources of the private sector to improve public life. We can say that your library is the result of people with vision who resurrected the old bank, who built the Old West Trails Center, and who now start your library.
We can repeat what E.B. White (author of Charlotte’s Web, which you will find in your library) said: “A library is a good place to go when you feel unhappy, for there, in a book, you may find encouragement and comfort. A library is a good place to go when you feel bewildered or undecided, for there, in a book, you may have your question answered. Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people - people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book."
Finally, we can share the motto of the Odell Nebraska Public Library, which is also an invitation:  
“Come to the library.  Widen your world.”