A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
The Cloquet Public Library opened its doors for a celebration of its new spaces last weekend, more than a year after major renovations. The bright, kid-friendly and future-focussed rooms at the library have been a hit with patrons.
Sisters Sofia and Erika Glesener, ages 4 and 2, ran circles around the rug in the children's area as their dad, Kris, watched. "We come here often because she loves books and she loves construction," he said. "It's so nice, and I really like the rooms they've got for the community to use."
Children's librarian Keiko Satomi and youth services librarian Justin Dinger demonstrated some "de-stressing" techniques staff at the Cloquet library employed during renovations and the Covid-19 pandemic, including "chair dancing."
Library Foundation secretary/treasurer Larry Anderson was ecstatic before the open house kicked off. "The little kids have about three times the space they had before," he said.
Cloquet Public Library staff literally kicked off Saturday's community celebration by demonstrating how they have survived construction, Covid and Covid, Part 2: by dancing in their chairs to "Can't Stop the Feeling!" in front of a roomful of people.
On a more serious note, library director Beth Sorenson praised the community for its support, and for creating a building that is not only better for us, "but for our children and our grandchildren."
Although the more than $2 million renovation/expansion was completed last year, because of the pandemic festivities were postponed until last week.
James Weikum, the director of the Arrowhead Library System, said he was "blown away" when he walked into the building. He noted that a library often mirrors the priorities of its community, and Cloquet already had a pretty good library. The addition is 7,000 square feet and nearly doubled the library's size.
"I would like to thank the community leaders who trusted the library staff's vision for what more the library could do in this community," Weikum said. "As you look around the facility, [notice] not just the new part, but the way that the existing structure and layout has been remodeled. You see that the staff saw something in the community that saw a need out there. And it's just spectacular." It was a word he used repeatedly to describe the bigger and better library.
Visitors celebrated Saturday by making full use of the library's facilities. There were speeches and music in the large meeting room. Vern Northrup's meta-print photographs were on display in the small meeting room and in many of the display cases that line the hallway. It was the debut of the commercial kitchen, and the first time many visitors had seen all of the different spaces now available at the library. The open house also featured a scavenger hunt and story/reading programs in the brightly illuminated children's area, teen computer activities, art demonstrations, local authors showcasing their most recent works and more.
Library Foundation secretary/treasurer Larry Anderson was ecstatic before the open house kicked off, pointing out that the project was completed within budget.
"All kinds of groups use the library. We've had the city and the fire department, the blood bank, rock groups. The teens have their own area ('we can shut them off and not hear the noise,' he said with a grin). The little kids have about three times the space they had before. And the Friends of the Library have their own room, and we have all these artists displaying all sorts of wonderful things around the building today."
Anderson ran down a long list of thank-yous during the speeches, including the businesses that sponsored the new circulation desk, the meeting room and the stage, and citizens who made substantial donations. He also thanked former director Mary Lukkarila for starting off the process with a "vision" seven years ago.
Bryce Class, 13, and Wesley Nelson, 16, met at the library Saturday to play Roblox on the computers in the teen room. "This is the only place like this to meet and do things," said one of the longtime friends.
It was all part of the plan.
