Langley embraces library reopening

By Kate Poss

Special to The Record

As if it were a celebrity making her comeback, the newly remodeled Langley Library opened its doors last Saturday after a year’s closure due to a major remodel.

Library staff estimate about a thousand visitors passed through the doors to nibble hors d’oeuvres, collect whale-themed library bling and stand in the transformed, sleek, light-filled modern space. The overall emotion throughout the day was one of joy and pride and celebration.

“When I arrived this morning at 9 a.m. the kids drew ‘welcome’ in chalk on the road, and I felt like crying with joy, ” said Rhianna McBride, an enthusiastic associate librarian.

Second Street in front of the library was temporarily closed to traffic and held the crowds, food and coffee tents and the Mutiny Bay Brass Band while speeches were made prior to ribbon cutting and opening of the new space.

McBride’s mom, Shar Drennan, had recently moved to Langley from Mississippi and was swept up in the day’s good feeling.

“What the world needs now is not only love, but Langley,” she said.

The Langley Library appears larger on the inside than it does on the outside. One of the additions is a downstairs reading area with study rooms that transformed a once dark and dank storage area where Halloween programs were sometimes held.

According to Sno-Isle Libraries’ website, “the Langley Library as envisioned by our community (is) a two-story space that brings our community together, while preserving the historic nature of the building. Our community will enjoy new reading nooks, have an additional 1,500 square feet to explore, discover new elements in the interactive children’s area, and gather in a new reservable community meeting space.”

Sno-Isle Libraries contracted with Valdez Construction, an Oak Harbor contractor, to complete the 12-month project. The library has new solar panels to reduce the building’s carbon footprint and is on track to be certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, or LEED.

The total project cost was about $4 million with contributions from Sno-Isle Libraries, two state grants, the Friends of the Langley Library and Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation.

In homage to the Salish Sea people who once lived nearby in a long house community, the library hangs art made by artist Dennis Allen, a member of the Skokomish (Twana) Tribe. The Raven Sun panel and Raven Paddle art were purchased with grants secured by the Friends of the Langley Library. The artist is inspired by legends depicting Pacific Northwest myths. “Raven: A Trickster Tale” from the Pacific Northwest, available at Sno-Isle Libraries, tells the tale of how Raven brought the sun to his people.

Born in 1935, Allen has lived on the Skokomish Reservation all of his life. After his mom died when he was 7, Allen lived with his blind grandmother and provided for the two of them and the community by hunting, logging and fishing. During his life, he made baskets, prepared traditional foods and medicines and learned to build traditional boats. He learned wood carving and art later in life.

“We were happy to find something for the space from a native Washington artist,” said Karen Achabal, a library associate for the Langley Library, who served on the committee to choose the art, along with artist/gallery owner Rob Schouten and Janet Moody, from Friends of the Langley Library.

The children’s section is bound to draw youngsters with its sky-blue walls, marine-themed furniture and jellyfish-inspired cubby under a slide. The room is embracing and cozy, compared with the cool-urban-modern feel of the main library rooms.

Commenting on the slide was Eric Howard, Sno-Isle Libraries’ new executive director since November 2024. “I had wanted a slide in our new children’s library in Santa Cruz, where I came from,” he said. “They didn’t build one there, but since I was hired for Sno-Isle, I got my wish.”