Isaac Hsu

Junior Ava Luo puts books back on shelf at the Carmel Clay Public Library. She said local volunteering brings the community together.

As the Carmel Clay Public Library gears up for its one-year anniversary celebration on Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., students and staff recall the growth into a vibrant community hub of leisure and education and look forward to the celebration.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in programs,” Zach Reynolds, teen services librarian and outreach coordinator to schools, said. “We hoped people would come and use this space in the library and attend our events, but we were almost overwhelmed at first by the response from the public. So, we decided to do programs and fun activities for all ages and groups for all interests that were easily accessible.”

Reynolds said what had once been a quiet place for books has transformed into a dynamic hub for education, culture and entertainment. He said he enjoys the changes the library underwent, and the routine it brought.

“There’s something going on with at least one or two fun activities every day,” Reynolds said. “Now we’ve got the space for it, which was one of the biggest changes, we have a lot of rooms for various events, and I think that’s the biggest shift we’ve seen.”

Ava Luo, Teen Library Council member and junior, said she also appreciates the changes and new opportunities presented to high schoolers like herself.

“I like how there are so many more events going on now, with the library operating regularly after school,” Luo said. “It’s so cool to volunteer at a place like this because you meet people you’ve never met before, and you can create a fun environment and activities for different age groups. What I find cool is how many days you can just come in and play on the switch and play games like ‘Mario Kart,’ it really livens up the library for students.”

And with the one-year anniversary celebration on Sept. 30, Reynolds said he is excited to present the commemoration event.

“For this Saturday, we have a lineup of exciting activities,” he said. “We have a lot of events from a photo scavenger hunt to origami sessions, since they tie into the traditional anniversary gift of paper.”

Reynolds also presented other activities that will be showcased at the anniversary event.

“We have the new solar panel reopening with the ribbon cutting ceremony, it’s kind of a big deal, we just have to be more green with how the world is changing,” he said. “Some more things happening are the karaoke events, face painting, tours of the library, local authors at the event will be coming, along with local artist shows at the community rooms.”

Luo also said she was interested in the upcoming event and specific activities at the library.

“I’m so excited for the karaoke and I heard there will be ping-pong in the teens area. It will be so fun, and the author that is coming for the meet and greet will be such a good experience for younger children,” she said.

As a volunteer, Luo said she enjoyed participating at the previous events hosted by the library, citing it as an experience to meet people and explore culture.

“I’m really excited for this upcoming anniversary celebration, but I think my favorite event was  volunteering at the culture fair,” she said. “It was just really cool to see all the different clubs and students from different backgrounds come together and show out, and see all the little booths and performances that happened, and how we students did it.”

Reflecting on the library’s role in the community since its reopening, Reynolds said he believes it has grown into a vital part of Carmel culture.

“The library’s been around for a while in this section of Carmel, and we’re really proud of the community center it’s become,” he said. “It’s a place where leisure and education meet. We’ve earned the respect and support of the community, and it’s become a beautiful cycle. The more people support the library, the more we can do for the community.”