There was a scavenger hunt, cake, live music and even a selfie station at a Monday celebration marking 10 years since the expansion of the Joyce K. Carver Memorial Soldotna Public Library.
A presentation running throughout the event showcased what those last 10 years have brought for the library — 915,000 visitors, 3,900 programs and 1.3 million physical items borrowed. The library space has also facilitated 125,000 computer use sessions and 128,000 Wi-Fi sessions.
Also spotlighted were the recent launch of the “Sew Fun” sewing programming, the addition of family work stations, the outdoor hold lockers and others.
“We’re just celebrating all the awesome events and the people that have come through here,” said City Librarian Rachel Nash.
Nash said that over 10 years, she’s seen kids and families grow up through their participation in library programs. She pointed to “Bouncing Babies,” the infant story time which debuted around the time of the expansion — now those kids are 10 years old.
Monday’s festivities spread through the library, with Sue Biggs, Jack Will and Mike Morgan making music by the fireplace and balloon animals and swords being produced across the stacks.
Most of the fun was housed in the library’s meeting space, where cake was eaten and selfies were taken. One table was covered in old photographs and newspaper clippings about the library’s namesake, and a table asked visitors to share what they love about the library.
That space, Nash said, was part of the expansion and didn’t exist a decade ago.
Another big thing that happened in the last 10 years is the COVID-19 pandemic, which Nash said showed just how important community and connecting with other people is — something the library can help facilitate. She said the library learned to be “nimble,” to identify community needs and leap to innovate and meet them.
“The most important thing about the library is the people,” she said.
That means both the people who are coming to use the services and the staff who make the library happen. She said the library is a hub for the community, always ready to connect people with information or a good book.
“More than a decade ago, the people of our community supported the expansion project and they’re getting to see what we did with that — a decade later, what the staff are continuing to do,” she said. “This is where everybody is welcome, doesn’t matter who you are — if you’re new to town or if you’ve been here for 50 years — you can come to the library and there’s going to be a friendly, welcoming face.”
For more information about the library and its events, visit soldotna.org/library or find “Soldotna Public Library” on Facebook.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
