LIBRARY CELEBRATING BUILDING EXPANSION’S 10th ANNIVERSARY WITH SCAVENGER HUNT AFTER HOURS
Centralia Regional Library
618-532-5222
Library Park, 515 E. Broadway, Centralia, IL
Centralia Regional Library District – Transforming Lives Every Day
The Centralia Regional Library is teaming with the Centralia Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of its facility expansion with a Scavenger Hunt After Hours.
Held from 5pm until 7pm Thursday, April 10, the event will include food from Billy Bryan, desserts from C’s Sweets Specialty, a variety of beverages, three door prizes, and a trivia-inspired scavenger hunt that encompasses the entire library.
“We are looking forward to the event,” said Julie Boltz, President of the Centralia Reginal Library Board of Directors. “I think it will allow people who have not been in the library recently to see and explore what we do have. I’m sure a lot of people haven’t been in the new portion of the library, and it will be nice for them to see all that we have to offer.”
Discussing the expansion, which was dedicated in May of 2015, Boltz said the project was designed to enhance the library’s facility while retaining its undeniable character.
“The people on the board at the time were very specific about any new addition having to look like it had always been there, and that this is how the library always appeared,” said Boltz. “We have a combination of the old and the new here. We have the ambiance of the old library, with all of the positives of new technology.”
Along with the updated facility, which includes the Monken Activities Room, computer lab, offices, elevator and stairwell, and refinished woodwork throughout the original building, the library has continued to expand its public services.
Library Director Tammy Wending discussed the library’s many online and computer-based services, including audio and e-books, rented hotspots for internet service, and 30-minute appointments for computer skill training with on-site staff.
Wendling also mentioned some of the lesser-known offerings at the library, such as rental of outdoor recreational gear and free notary services.
“We do have fishing poles that we rent out, and we have different containers of IDNR natural resources that can be used for science lessons,” Wendling explained. “We also have a notary on staff with no charge, and we are looking at doing passports in the future.”
Wendling said items not found in stock at the library may be ordered, and that library cards can be used in every library in Illinois.
According to Boltz, the Centralia Regional Library is the second-oldest active Carnegie library in the state.
The library will be closed for regular business during the event and is reserved for members of the Chamber of Commerce and guests of the library. Anyone wh would like to attend is asked to contact the Centralia Chamber of Commerce at 618-532-6789 to RSVP.
