Embedded Files
Syd Nonn
November 6th, 2025
As of October 8, 2025, all students and full-time staff in the Waterloo school district, regardless of their residence, have access to the Morrison-Talbott Public Library due to a recent agreement between the library and the school district. Before this collaboration, anybody living outside city limits would have to pay a fee for a non-resident library card. This policy posed a problem for students and staff who are a part of the Waterloo school district, but happen to live in a nearby community that does not have a public library. Under this agreement, Waterloo’s public library now extends its services to an all-new demographic. The first steps of this collaboration were taken around 2022, when Mr. Andrew Mayer campaigned for the idea to members of the library board and to Waterloo school district staff. Mr. Mayer is a member of the Morrison-Talbott Library board and is the Waterloo school district’s library media specialist, which led to him having a unique role in the success of this project. He explained that, once they had collectively decided to start writing the agreement, it took a lot of communication in order to meet the desires of both sides. He noted that using other school districts’ arrangements with their own public libraries as a template for Waterloo’s proved to be a helpful starting point. Currently, this collaboration is for just one year; however, Mr. Mayer expressed hope that students would take advantage of this opportunity so that both the public library and the Waterloo school district would consider an extension. The Morrison-Talbott Library’s director, Jamie Wratchford, discussed future expansions to the agreement, such as ensuring that the student card is the default for all Waterloo students, or even extending the benefits to Waterloo’s Catholic schools. Mr. Mayer stated that he mainly supported this plan because he wanted students to be aware that “the notion that libraries are just a storage of books” is a complete misconception. The Morrison-Talbott library also provides various online databases, educational programs for all ages, access to the “Library of Things” (a collection of non-traditional items that can be checked out just like a book would) and much more to its patrons. Those with a library card can also create an account on Libby, an app for digitally borrowing ebooks and audiobooks. These resources cannot be accessed through the Waterloo school libraries, so Mr. Mayer stated, “I hope that high school students find the value in the libraries” and “take advantage of it.” He also hopes that this connection will lead to future collaborations between the two libraries, such as librarians traveling to teach elementary school students about the public library and to promote the importance of reading from an early age. This collaboration presents a wonderful opportunity for students and staff alike to start taking advantage of the Morrison-Talbott Library’s services, whether it’s giving new life a bygone love for reading, borrowing some yard games, or just finding a welcoming place to study. Students who are interested in getting their free student library card should come to the Morrison-Talbott library with their parent or legal guardian, the parent/guardian’s photo ID, and the student’s Skyward account or student ID for proof of enrollment. Students who are over the age of 18 do not need to bring a parent/guardian; they should instead bring their own photo ID along with their proof of enrollment.
Meet the Author
Meet the Author
Syd Nonn
Syd Nonn is a senior at WHS. Outside of Journalism, Syd is a colorguard captain for the Marching Bulldogs. She enjoys reading, playing videogames, stargazing, and listening to music. She makes it her goal to stop the disappearance of physical media!
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