Drawing of the Kenai bluff by James Evenson

Welcome to the Kenai Community Library

163 Main Street Loop, Kenai AK 99611
Telephone 907-283-4378 Fax 907-283-2266

CHRONOLOGY OF THE KENAI COMMUNITY LIBRARY

Sometime during the early 1940's shelves were built in the corridor of the Kenai Territorial School
to place books for circulation and use by the citizens. These books were mostly donations, with surpluses provided from military bases by legislative delegations in Washington, D.C.

By the mid 1940’s a group of enterprising Kenai citizens organized the “Civic League” and applied for a land parcel in Old Town Kenai. It was granted and a three-room structure was built to facilitate community meetings. This included the collection of shelved books from the Kenai Territorial School, and thus the first “library” was born. Volunteers staffed the library, one day a week, on Thursdays from 9:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.

1949    Seven citizens formed a Board of Directors and submitted Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws to the             Territory of Alaska that were legally adopted on the 7th day of March 1949. The volunteer organization was              named Kenai Community Library, Inc.

1971    The Board of Directors wrote an invitation to the City of Kenai to assume Library powers, take over the              library books and related materials, excluding the treasury, and make plans to construct a new library at              another location to be determined. The City Council accepted July 22, 1971.

1972    The Kenai Community Library became an entity of the City of Kenai.

1973    New library construction was underway at 163 Main Street Loop, Kenai.

1976    Dedication of the beautiful new library was on November 21, 1976.

1983    Ordinance 851-83 of the Council of the City of Kenai, Alaska created a New “Advisory Library Commission”             by enacting a Title 24 of the Kenai Municipal Code. This commission is a liaison between the Board of             Directors of the Kenai Community Library, Inc. and the City of Kenai effective May 20, 1983.

1985    The contract for an addition to the present building was awarded to Landmark Commercial Construction             with a bid of $497,670.

            The Board of Directors of the Kenai Community Library, Inc. endorsed the formation of a local “Friends of             the Library, USA” on November 19, 1985. The City paid the membership fee.

1986    Dedication of the addition to the Kenai Community Library was on April 27, 1986.

1989    Celebration of the library’s 40th anniversary was on May 21, 1989.

1994    The Friends of the Library celebrated the 45th anniversary of the Kenai Community Library March 6, 1994.

1994    The City of Kenai Bond Issue for a library addition was defeated.

1995    The City of Kenai Bond Issue for a library addition was defeated.

1996    The State of Alaska granted the Kenai Community Library, Inc. a gaming permit June 2. As a principle              fundraiser, a dinner-raffle was held the last Friday and Saturday in October.

            More than 200 attended the reception July 25 honoring Librarian Emily DeForest on her 25th anniversary             as Library Director.

1999    The 50th anniversary of the Kenai Community Library on March 7th was attended by more than 400 people.
            On April 8th Emily DeForest retired and on May 3rd Ewa Jankowska began her first day as Director of the             Kenai Community Library.  A reception in her honor was held September 16th.

2000    At the request of the Library Commission, the Board approved $50,000 from the Building Fund for basic             furnishings for the proposed library addition. The Kenai Community Library webpage             http://www.kenailibrary.org  goes online.

2001    The Kenai City Council passed two ordinances October 15 approving $20,000 for library addition             schematics. Architects Kluge and Associates submitted plans for the addition November 19th.

2005     Director Library Ewa Jankowska submitted her resignation, as she was moving out of state.

2006    Library Director Mary Jo Joiner from Martha’s Vineyard, MA was employed as of February 1st.

            The U.S. Commission of Libraries and Information Services awards the Kenai Community Library the 2006             National Health and Information Award for Alaska.

            The Kenai City Council voted unanimously to support a library addition. Klauder & Company Architects              presented a study of a building program, facility siting and expansion at a City Council work session.

2007    In Kenai Community Library awarded the 2007th Excellence in Small/Rural Public Libraries Award.

            The Board of Directors voted to change the name of the Kenai Community Library, Inc. to Friends of the             Kenai Community Library, August 2007.

            In the October election the City of Kenai Bond Issue of $2,000,000 for Library expansion passed.

2008    The Kenai City Council approved a fee of $10,000 to contract with Ann Myren of Resources and Results             Consulting & Cecily Stern of Planning and Consulting and Grant Writing Services for the purpose of             developing a Capital and Fundraising Campaign for the library expansion. The City Council in April voted to             share half the cost.