'A gathering space': Lehi preps for opening of new library, civic center

LEHI — From bookworms to studious patrons to those just looking for a place to gather with the community, the new Lehi Library has something for everyone.

The Lehi Library will be located on the first and second floor of the new Lehi Civic Center, which is set for a grand opening on April 16. One of the oldest cities in Utah, Lehi has been slowly upgrading many of the city buildings to better serve its rapidly growing population.

The Lehi Civic Center, 131 N. 100 East, includes the library, community rooms, information services, city administration offices and a brand new, larger City Council chamber. When the old library was torn down, the Lehi Library was moved to a temporary location right off of I-15 for the last two years.

"We've been providing services there the best we could until we could get this finished," said library director Kristi Seely. She's been with the Lehi Library for about 25 years.

In the last month, the library team has been dutifully hauling books, desks, computers and carts to the new building and setting up the new layout to be ready for opening. The library will have a soft opening on April 6, before the full grand opening of the entire Civic Center on April 16, when the city will host a ribbon cutting.

From the fresh decor to the new books to the dozens of windows filling the place with light, Seely said she is so grateful for the new location. She said it was a lot of work getting everything transferred, but it was worth it.

"It's so nice to be in a beautiful building that is temperature controlled and doesn't drip or leak," Seely quipped. "It feels so good to be in here. We've waited a long time for it."

The first floor of the library has an indoor book drop, a walk-up book drop from outside, and all of the books and materials for adults. The first floor will be a quiet zone and includes several desks, cubicles and study rooms for anyone needing a quiet area to get work done.

The second floor of the library is a "non-shushing library" and has a children's section and a young adult section. With a decorative bookworm covering the walls, a learning tree and comfy seats for all ages, the library is perfectly curated to help children enjoy reading and learning, Seely said.

"I love that it's a gathering space. It's just a place you can come and have great experiences, especially with the programs we provide; it's so great to see entire families coming and enjoying an event together," Seely said.

The second floor also has large rooms for programming where the library will host story times, read-alongs and other activities for youth. The new location gives the library the opportunity to have more books, doubles the programming space to offer more activities and provides additional space for people to enjoy.

As part of the grand opening, the library will host a scavenger hunt people can participate in to get oriented with the new layout. Outreach librarian Jami Bahr said everyone is just "ecstatic" for the new library, and she knows it's going to be a huge benefit for the community.

"I think it's so important because it's one of the last places that you can go that's free, and you can get lost in a book, you can come study, search for a job, the list goes on and on. It's one of the last free places that a community can come and gather," Bahr said.

Seely agreed, adding that it is "so fulfilling" to feel like they are helping the community with whatever they need, whether that's looking for a job, finding educational resources or families wanting to spend time together.

"We have a lot of families that come, and they're able to just check out free items and improve the quality of life that they have at no cost to them," Seely said.

The library purchased many new books with support from the city, and Seely is excited to have all of the library's collection together in one place again. She said many library staff members have missed being in the same place with everyone, so she looks forward to reuniting them all.

Seely has lived in Lehi all her life and has seen firsthand just how much the city has grown and changed. She remembers as a girl looking at city murals hanging in the State Bank of Lehi building, which became the Literacy Center. The paintings were recently taken down, restored and are now hanging in the new City Council chamber.

"We're growing so fast as a community, and it's hard to keep up with the needs of a community when it's growing this quickly," Seely said. "As much as we try, it's just a constant running to keep up. But we love providing those services for our citizens."

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