James City County Library’s 30th Birthday Party
The James City County Library turned 30 this summer, and Williamsburg Regional Library (WRL) is inviting the community to celebrate.
On Tuesday, Aug. 18, from 2–4 p.m., the library, located at 7770 Croaker Road, will host a free 30th birthday party featuring treats, face painting, children’s crafts, games, giveaways, and a special performance by longtime library favorite Jonathan Austin at 3 p.m.
“The James City County Library has been bringing people together for 30 years,” said WRL Director Sandy Towers. “Some of the children who came to some of our earliest storytimes and magic shows are now bringing their own children through these doors. That’s a remarkable legacy for a community library. This birthday party is a chance to celebrate not just the building, but everything that’s happened inside it over the last three decades.”
The James City County Library opened in July 1996 as the second branch of the Williamsburg Regional Library system. Built to serve the county’s rapidly growing Norge area, the $5.5 million facility opened with a collection of 75,000 items and more than 30 public computer terminals.
When the library opened, local newspapers highlighted its emphasis on technology. In a July 3, 1996 article about the grand opening, the Daily Press quoted librarian and online technology specialist Sherle Abramson: “It’s the wave of the future in terms of how libraries will work… We’re going to be teaching people a lot of things.”
Thirty years later, that prediction has proven mostly true. Technology remains central to library service, but as library users have changed the way they consume that technology, the library itself has continued to evolve. Space once devoted to public computers has become flexible gathering space, while additions such as the Teen Room, the Kiwanis Kids Idea Studio, and the Library Natural Playground reflect the many ways today’s library supports creativity and connection in a world increasingly experienced through screens.
Community use of the library has grown as the community itself has expanded. Over the past three decades, James City County’s population has nearly doubled, growing from an estimated 42,500 residents to more than 83,000. During that same period, the James City County Library has welcomed 4.3 million visitors, circulated 11.7 million items, and increased its collection to more than 88,000 books, movies, and other materials.
Today, the James City County Library welcomes babies and toddlers to storytime, students tackling homework, teens gathering in the Teen Room, job seekers building new skills, retirees discovering new hobbies, and families attending programs throughout the year. Whether you visited the James City County Library on opening day in 1996 or you’re planning your first visit, everyone is invited to celebrate the people, programs, and experiences that have made the James City County Library a part of community life for the past 30 years.
The birthday celebration is free and open to all ages. For more information, visit wrl.org and follow WRL on Facebook and Instagram.
30 years by the numbers:
- 1996: James City County Library opens
- $5.5 million: Construction cost
- 75,000: Items in the opening collection
- 88,000+: Items in today’s collection
- 4.3 million: Visitors since opening
- 11.7 million: Items circulated
- Nearly doubled: James City County’s population since the library opened
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