We're celebrating the 5th birthday of the launch of Anythink. We held our breath when over 5,000 people took their first peek at Anythink Brighton as it opened on September 12, 2009. As the community flooded through the doors, the immediate reaction was love at first sight. The beautiful building, the wonderful books, movies and music. We played “Yellow Submarine” on kazoos, learned how to make fresh salsa, and practiced dancing. Everything was shiny and new and gorgeous. Five years later, more than 1.3 million people visit our libraries every year. Each time someone walks into the library, they are greeted with a smile because Anythink belongs to our community. The staff and I are stewards, but the library belongs to you. 

John Palfrey, who chairs the board of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), notes that we need to create a new nostalgia for libraries, one that acknowledges and welcomes our libraries as they reinvent themselves. And, as you know in Adams County, we definitely reinvented our library.

“Anythink is a new style of library – a place of unlimited imagination, where play inspires creativity and lifelong learning. Your community space, where anything and everything is possible.”

I would like to take this milestone to express my heartfelt thanks to you, our wonderful customers. Because of you, we are well on our way to creating a new nostalgia for our library.