The Montgomery City Public Library got a big present from Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Missouri State Librarian Robin Westphal on Sept. 23.

The library received a CARES grant check of $9,935 that will help pay for new items such as a self-check machine and a wireless access point for the outdoors. Ashcroft and Westphal handed the check to interim director Gaylee Harris during their 30-minute visit to the library.

“I’m ecstatic,” Harris said.

Before they handed out the check, Ashcroft and Westphal got a tour of the library and got to meet with several board members. Westphal said she was pleased with the visit.

“You walk in and you know that people are going to greet you with a smiling face,” Westphal said. “If you decide that you want to go over and sit in the corner and not have a conversation, they’re going to be fine with that. Physically, it’s a beautiful space and they’re using it very well.”

Ashcroft, who has been Secretary of State since 2016, made visits to libraries, schools and courthouses in a span of two days before stopping by the Montgomery City library. He said the library is a very important place of information.

“It’s the resource place,” Ashcroft said. “Beyond the idea of being a place where everyone can come together, if we can kind of have people make their own decisions, we’ll be a lot better. The resource is going to be there. Librarians like to say that Wikipedia is not a source. The one thing libraries can be is the unbiased reference area. That’s going to be hard because, unfortunately as a society, we’re getting to the point where nobody believes anybody. But I think one thing libraries can say is, ‘Hey look, use it.’”

Ashcroft said he enjoys touring the libraries throughout the state with Westphal, whom he hired as state librarian three years ago.

“We just want to come alongside and help,” Ashcroft said. “We want to create an environment for libraries to prosper because I think it’s good for the people in the state.”

Westphal worked as a library director at the Livingston County Library in Chillicothe and at Johnson City, Tenn., before taking over state librarian duties.

“I love the state librarian who has been the library director,” Ashcroft said. “I love someone who has that understanding of what it’s like in both worlds that maybe if someone calls her, she’ll take off her state librarian hat and put on her library director hat.”

Westphal said she wanted to visit the Montgomery City library since the Missouri State Library has contacts with all of the libraries in the state.

“We assist all 160 library districts in one way or another, whether through state aid or grant projects or forms,” Westphal said.

Westphal said the library is more than just a place to check out books.

“It’s about bringing people together,” she said. “It’s very true that the print format of the book is always going to be here. Even when I was in library school, they talked about, ‘Oh, print is dead. It’s all going to be e-books.’ But I thought that’s not the case. It’s truly about still being in that place where anyone who walks in the door feels comfortable.”