Book lovers stack up a win

Sara Busse of the ImagineIF Library Foundation floated among the sellout crowd of Flathead Valley folks in their finery and sandals. The temperature hovered at 98 degrees Fahrenheit, but heat couldn't keep readers down, or out.

I congratulated Busse on the new branch. She brightened but cautioned, “We’re not done yet,” referring to the roughly $300,000 left to raise for the long-delayed library in Bigfork. 

The crowd swirled among the silent auction items, the wide-open spaces appointed with bright carpet and the walls gleaming. Colorful shapes dangled from the ceiling, and massive human-size book covers leaned around the room: Norman Maclean’s “A River Runs Through It,” Abe Streep’s “Brothers on Three” and Pam Houston’s “Cowboys Are My Weakness,” to name a few. 

Just these titles made me marvel about books, and how a library card acts as a passport to other places, times and perspectives. 

Due to open Aug. 6, the Bigfork branch appeared to have everything it needed, except books. That was the point of the July 10 event, called “Fill the Shelves.” 

“They might get there tonight,” said Lynnette Donaldson of the Whitefish Community Foundation as waiters passed by with bison meatballs and duck wontons. Later, Donaldson would present a $50,000 check from the foundation to get the fundraising party started. 

From the podium Busse opened with an overview of the project, saying the foundation had so far raised $2.9 million for a place where you could “grow your mind, your business and your community because, guess what?” she said. “Great communities have great libraries.” 

Though there are many reasons to feel frustrated about the Flathead County Library, or rather the conflict around the library, this night felt triumphant. Long seen as a way up for anyone with curiosity and ambition — and an all-around benefit to a community — libraries somehow became a target. This in an age when most people, including many kids, have a fire hose of unfiltered content at their disposal online. 

I’d be thrilled if my 16-year-old read any book. 

Mark Sullivan, author of 18 titles such as “Beneath a Scarlet Sky,” jumped up to talk about his trajectory from early reader to late-blooming writer. A library was where he began his first book. 

“I befriended every resource librarian I could find,” he said. 

Other speakers followed on the upbeat message: “This is an asset for quality of life,” and “We needed this library, we imagined it and we did it.” Another noted that one of the fastest growing groups using the library was teens —  “everybody needs their spark,” she said. 

Near the front of the room, Jan and Ken Olson savored the moment in what had been their church’s old gymnasium.

“We said, ‘We’ve got to get rid of it, they need a building,’” Ken said with a shrug, remembering the beginning of the yearslong journey.  

Jan smiled, “It was serendipity.” 

Last year patrons checked out nearly 30,000 items from the Bigfork branch’s former tiny home on Electric Avenue; now imagine what it will do from a building formerly known as the Ark. 

Margaret E. Davis, executive director of the Northwest Montana History Museum, can be reached at mdavis@dailyinterlake.com.