Library History
History of the Kenai Community Library
The Kenai Community Library is at the center of our diverse community on the Kenai Peninsula. Over the years, local citizens, leaders, volunteers and Library staff have worked to build a collection of resources that meet the needs of the community’s continuously changing interests, technology and learning objectives and to create a welcoming and comfortable space to use and enjoy those resources.
The Library began in 1949 as a small collection of books kept on shelves in the hallway of the Alaska Territorial School Building, which also served as Kenai’s first school. Teacher Jetret “Jettie” Stryker Petersen founded the Library with the help of the Kenai Woman’s Club/Homemakers Club and the Kenai Civic League. Club volunteers organized various fund-raising projects, such as bake sales, raffles and plant sales to help raise money and to supplement private donations and grants. Joyce K. Carver was appointed the first Librarian with Kay Lemmon as the Assistant Librarian. (Ms. Carver also served as Soldotna Public Library’s first board president and is the namesake of the Joyce K. Carver Memorial Soldotna Public Library.)
On January 19, 1955, the Library opened to the public in the newly constructed Civic League Building located in “Old Town” Kenai on Cook Drive. The multi-use building was shared by several organizations and City of Kenai staff. Library shelves were put on wheels so that they could be moved to accommodate meetings and large gatherings. The Kenai fire engine was also housed in the west end of the building. In 1958, the Library received “Public Library” designation, which marked an important shift in status and opened up new opportunities for public service and grant funding. The Library had become an essential resource in the Kenai community, and in 1963 the Library began to stay open year-round.
By 1968, the City of Kenai began to financially support the Library, first with $3,500, then with $6,000 in annual donations, until the Kenai City Council assumed responsibility for the Library on July 27, 1972. With support from the City, the Library hired its first full-time head Librarian, Emily DeForest. The Library was quickly outgrowing its space at the Civic League Building, and on March 25, 1975, ground was broken for a new Library building on the corner of Main Street Loop and Trading Bay Road next to City Hall and the Kenai Fire Department. The Grand Opening and Dedication of the Kenai Community Library at 163 Main Street Loop was held on November 21, 1976.
Over the next decade, the Library continued to grow and expand. A 5,000 square foot addition was completed in 1986 and included four sound-proof rooms, a closed stack area and an activity room. In the 2000s, the Library was again beginning to outgrow its space, and on May 3, 2010, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Library’s long-anticipated Expansion and Renovation Project marked the beginning of a year-long construction project. The resulting 20,000 square foot building is the current home of the Kenai Community Library.
The Library now houses more than 77,000 physical items, provides access to more than 3 million additional titles from around the state via the Alaska Library Catalog, offers free checkouts of digital books and audiobooks through the Alaska Digital Library, and provides 24/7 access to a variety of online learning tools. Trained Library staff promote literacy, reading and lifelong learning by delivering high-quality programs, services and resources that educate and spark creativity in a comfortable and safe environment. The Library provides access to laptops, tablets and computer stations with hardwired internet, wireless internet indoors and outdoors and printing, faxing, and scanning services.
From the beginning, the Library has been at the center of the community, bringing people together to build relationships and partnerships that have fostered a sense of pride and cooperation. Whether patrons are visitors to the area, part-time residents or make the Kenai Peninsula their full-time home, everyone is welcome at the Library!
Check out this Kenai Library History Timeline put together by Kenai Library staff.
