The Kenai City Council approved an ordinance to accept and appropriate donations to the Kenai Community Library for materials such as equipment, furniture, and programming supplies. The Community Library received $13,850 in donations.
According to Library Manager Katja Wolfe, Deborah McCarthy made the biggest donation of $10,000, which is the third year the library has received this donation. Kenai community members and friends of the library donated the remaining donations.
Wolfe said it was great timing to receive the donations.
“I think libraries as a whole are really important for communities- for the health of a community, and we’ve seen an increase in folks using our facility, and that’s for just checking out items using our digital library also coming in for programs or needing help with technology,” Wolfe said.
Mayor Brian Gabriel expressed his appreciation by saying, “I can speak for council when I say thank you to all those individuals that help improve our library and our services.”
Additional shelving will accommodate the growing collections and improve organization. The new signage will enhance wayfinding, improve navigation and accessibility for all visitors, and ensure a more user-friendly environment. The equipment will support school readiness and literacy skill-building in young learners, and the programming funds will enhance the Summer Reading Program 2025 as well as other programs.
Wolfe says she hopes the new materials will be in the Kenai Community Library within a few months.