The illustration “A Bear Plunging into the Sea,” from an 1819 volume by Sir John Ross, is one of countless items on display at UMSL’s St. Louis Mercantile Library as part of the “Audubon and Beyond” exhibition. A free Family Day event is set for 1 p.m. Sept. 18. Click on the detail to view the full image. (Images from the collections of the St. Louis Mercantile Library)
When brainstorming weekend adventures, St. Louis families might not immediately think of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. But on one upcoming Sunday in September, the oldest library west of the Mississippi River promises to be among the most kid-friendly places in the whole region.
“Monarch butterfly on milkweed” is part of Thomas Say’s 1859 “Complete Writings on the Entomology of North America.”
Whether it’s making a tornado, learning to identify animal tracks or curating one’s very own nature art exhibit, visitors young and old will find plenty of fun and educational activities during the library’s Family Day celebration Sept. 18. Set for 1 to 3 p.m., this free, Tiny Tritons-approved event focuses on the vast exhibition “Audubon and Beyond: Collecting Five Centuries of Natural History at the St. Louis Mercantile Library.”
“One thing that makes this event so rewarding is watching everyone get excited about the breadth and depth of our collections,” says Julie Dunn-Morton, the library’s curator of fine art collections. “‘Audubon and Beyond’ is ideal for engaging audiences of all ages specifically because it explores such a wide range of topics from botany to zoology, so everyone can find something they enjoy.”
In addition to library staff, visitors from partnering organizations and programs including the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Wildlife Rescue Center, the Audubon Center at Riverlands and Milkweed for Monarchs will also be on hand to help eventgoers experience natural history in new ways.
The Mercantile Library is located on the first floor of the Thomas Jefferson Library building on UMSL’s North Campus. Free parking during the event will be available in the West Drive Garage South adjacent the library.
