Karen Snider moved to Callaway with her husband, Doug, three years ago. Last November, she took over the role of director at the Nigel Sprouse Memorial Library. (Courier photo by Ellen Mortensen)

The community of Callaway has several little gems that make up the backbone of the town. A wellstocked locally owned grocery store and hardware store, a state-of-the-art medical facility, an outstanding school system, and a high-quality nursing home, to name a few.

Another jewel in the Callaway crown is the Nigel Sprouse Memorial Library, and under the management of a new director, it is being spruced up and revitalized. Small-town events and celebrations like the Callaway Kite Flight are designed to introduce visitors to what the town has to offer. If that leads to return visits, that’s a win. If the visit leads to someone relocating to the community because of their experience, well… that’s a slam dunk. That’s exactly what happened with the Sniders.

“We have been coming to the Kite Flight since 2009.

We like kites and go to a lot of festivals, and a friend told us we had to go to this one in Callaway,” Karen shared. “So we came here on a whim and had been coming here ever since.”

Born and raised in Colorado, Karen and Doug Snider were high school sweethearts. They are the parents of two children and proud grandparents to two littles.

Sensing it was time for a change, Karen began pursuing the idea of relocating to Callaway after attending the Kite Flight.

“I just fell in love with the town, how inviting and community-based they are. It only took me five years to convince my husband to move here,” Karen laughed.

“I finally just told him I was putting the house up for sale, and he'd better plan on moving with me.”

She shared that life in the big city was never something she enjoyed. “I like space. We lived in our last house for 16 years and did not know our neighbors. I wanted someplace where we could settle in and get to know our neighbors, and if we were in a pinch, that you could call and the neighbors would pull together and help you,” said Karen.

In 2022, the couple began looking at houses in Callaway. On Labor Day weekend that year, they pulled their camper out to attend the Kite Flight, and as they were pulling around the block preparing to leave at the end of the weekend, they spotted a tiny for-sale sign in front of a house.

“It had lots of property. I called them up and they didn’t answer. Kindle Rice, who lived right across the street from where we had our camper parked, called them, and immediately they answered,” Karen continued. “They were actually out of town but were on their way back, so we parked the camper and took a nap until they got here. They walked us through the house, and we said, ‘We’ll take it!’” Karen says it did not take long for them to settle into their new community. Doug works for the Callaway Transit Department of Callaway District Hospital. “We were both planning on coming out here and retiring, but for insurance purposes, we weren’t able to do that. So Doug thought he would just find himself a little parttime job, and it just kinda stuck,” Karen explained. “I was just getting bored wandering around the house, so I thought I would get a part-time job as well. And here I am.”

Here, is the Nigel Sprouse Memorial Library. In November 2025, she started her new role as the library director, filling a vacancy that had been open for more than eight months. Since she has been there, Karen has spent the majority of her time organizing and cleaning.

“I had to refamiliarize myself with computers. I’m not really a big fan - I prefer to pick up a book,” she said. “I’ve spent a lot of time in libraries and have always been an avid reader, so for me it wasn’t a hard transition.”

The library is open on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday mornings, and Friday afternoons. Karen said she averages anywhere from eight to 15 visitors each day they are open. “For the size of the town, that seems pretty good.”

She has visited libraries in several neighboring communities and said she has sought ideas and advice from those librarians. “It’s also great that we have somebody here who actually has experience running a library,” said Karen. “Judy Reiff has been a librarian for over 30 years and has a degree. If there is something I stumble on, she helps me figure out what I need to do.”

Reiff currently serves as president of the Library Board. Other board members are Amber Harrison, Shirley Trout, Julie Johnson, Verla Biel, and Kaylee Brogan. The building that houses the library is owned by the Village of Callaway, but Karen explained that the library operates independently.

A new seating area has been added at the front of the library, and a recent addition now graces the wall in that area. “When I visited the library in Arnold, I saw they had a quilt hanging on their wall, and they said it was a great conversation piece. I then thought about how nice it would be to have local ladies come in and use the back room to quilt, or just sit here and talk, and I thought adding a quilt might be a nice attention grabber,” Karen explained.

Each month, a different piece is displayed and generally depicts a design related to the month. “Last month it was hearts and the month before that it was snowflakes,” said Karen. “This month’s is green for St. Patrick’s Day, and next month will be butterflies.”

There are five computers available for use, and Karen said she is looking into a grant to purchase a laminator to be able to offer that service as well. She has lots of great ideas for utilizing the library for various activities for both kids and adults. The large backroom is available for use for community meetings, gatherings, and game nights, and tables and chairs can be rented from the library.

“There’s something new here every week,” Karen added. “I get new books all the time. I just want people to come in and hang out, have a coffee or hot chocolate, and just see what we have to offer.”