‘Something for everyone’

On most days, it’s considered lucky if you can find a place to park at the Spokane Valley Library. During business hours, there isn’t a nook or cranny in the 22,000-square-foot building at 12004 E. Main Ave. that isn’t used.

Citizens of Spokane Valley and beyond rely on one of the largest libraries in the Spokane County Library District for free access to more than 115,000 books, periodicals, tapes, videos, books on tape or DVDs.

With more than 10,000 items checked out each week, it may be the busiest place in the city.

“There really is something for everyone, of every age and every interest, at the library,” said Ellen Miller, the regional library manager for the county library system. “One of the things we’ve learned is that the residents really do view the library as a community center.”

There’s a constant stream of traffic through the front doors of the county’s main branch, with more than 1,000 visitors a day. On Fridays, library patrons patiently line up outside on the sidewalk waiting to get in when the library opens at 1 p.m.

“The line is pretty impressive,” said Beth Gillespie, a communications specialist for the library district. “For many people, that’s what they do on Fridays.”

Hopefully after the first of the year, patrons won’t have to wait until 1 p.m. to take care of business. For the first time since the county system opened in 1942, four county libraries will be open on Sundays, and Friday hours will be extended to 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“It just so happens that this year we have the revenue” for extended hours, Miller said. The four libraries that will enjoy expanded hours are the Valley, Moran Prairie, North Spokane and Cheney sites, she said.

“This is just really exciting,” Miller said. “We are one of the few systems in Washington state that doesn’t have Sunday hours.”

The Spokane Public Library system does not have Sunday hours.

Extended library hours are good news for Amanda Moore and her 3-year-old son Parker James.

They come to the Spokane Valley library two or three times a week to browse through the stacks and settle in for some reading.

“He likes to look at the books, and it’s nice to get out of the house,” said Moore, who is a full-time student studying to be a teacher. “I like being able to bring him here where he has access to knowledge we don’t have at home.”

Moore’s son is also one of many fans of the library’s youth programs, like storytime and summer reading. In October, 1,081 people came to participate in the 38 programs offered that month.

The toddler storytime is the favorite, with as many as 80 children and their parents visiting during one sitting.

“They tend to fill up the room,” said Mary Ellen Braks, the library’s youth services supervisor.

Starting in January the library hopes to be able to offer more programs, like a movie night for families one Saturday a month, Braks said.

The library is so well-loved by the community that it has steadily outgrown its current space. The library board hopes to build a new library in Spokane Valley within the next five years. The library district is closely watching the formation of Spokane Valley’s 20-year land use plan. It proposes a city center around the former University City Mall, which board members have said would be an ideal location for the new building.

“We really do need more space for all of our programs,” Miller said.

The story time, summer reading programs and sporadic puppet shows are now held in the basement of the current library, which at one time was for staff only. Patrons are led down a narrow hallway to a meeting room. Some try to squeeze into an elevator.

There are also not enough computer stations for Internet users.

“We hear that constantly,” Miller said. “It’s really important to us that they have the time they wish.”

One of the fastest growing requests is for books on tapes or CD, Miller said. The library has quite a collection but would like to have more available to patrons.

“A lot of people don’t have time to do traditional reading,” Miller said. “The definition of what it means to read anymore has changed in our society.”

But not for Jason and Heather Beauchamp, who bring their five home-schooled children, ranging in age from 2 to 11, to the library once every month to load up on books and reference materials.

“Most people don’t have affordable opportunities to get this many books at one time,” Jason Beauchamp said. “It’s a great resource for learning.”

Their children roam freely among the stacks, looking for the perfect book to get lost in.

“We used to bring a laundry basket, but it got too heavy,” Heather Beauchamp said. “Now we tell them they can check out as many as their backpacks can hold.”