What makes a community? A community is a group of people with something in common. And when that “common thing” is a physical place, like a town or a region, it’s super important to have a warm, positive, inclusive space for everyone to feel welcome. That’s one of the many things that libraries are good at: opening their doors to everyone, equally. So in this post, I wanted to give a shout out to a small community in the Pacific Northwest that is building a new public library: the Friends of Birch Bay Library. For years, the local Bookmobile visited Birch Bay. But the community needs than just easy access to books. They need a place to gather. A place to learn. A place to communicate. The Friends recently purchased a cozy old home along the bay. This land was once the fishing grounds of the Lummi Nation. Neighbors and county staff began the work of creating a place where everyone will be able to:

• Browse and check out books
• Attend after-school, evening, weekend, and summer programs for children, seniors, and others.
• Job training
• Computer access
• Meeting room space
• Support will be provided for local business owners’ economic development efforts.

According to the Friends of Birch Bay Library, the group must raise $2.7 million by May 31, 2021. That’s a lot of money to raise in less than a year. Can they do it? They can, with support from everyone who loves reading, communities, and connections. Please consider donating to the Birch Bay library at this link.