It was a scene which more closely resembled a door-buster sale than the studious silence of a library. But there was clearly an air of great enthusiasm and excitement as hundreds of people gathered on Saturday morning outside the doors of the new Sammamish Library to celebrate its official opening.

Despite a chill in the air, a bigger than expected crowd made their way to the remarkable new building beside Sammamish City Hall to be among the first to walk through its doors and inspect a facility which is being hailed as a shining example of ecologically-appropriate architecture as well as a fine resource for library users.

At 19,000 square feet, the new building is almost twice as big as the old library at the corner of 228th Ave NE and Inglewood Hill Rd., allowing for more books, more media, and more space for Sammamish’s growing population.

President of the Friends of Sammamish Library, Dee Carrel, and Mayor Don Gerend were two of the local residents to address the large crowd prior to the much-anticipated ribbon cutting.

Gerend demonstrated that he, personally, has benefited from the public learning resource of libraries, quoting the French author Andre Gide in his remarks.

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore,” Gerend said, adding that “although there will not be any new oceans inside, libraries offer an opportunity to explore the oceans of the mind.”

Fittingly, it was the younger residents of the city who strode through the open doors first. And for the rest of the day, young and old alike filled the reading rooms, browsed the shelves and got a good look at what is sure to become a feature of the city center, whatever that may look like.

Managing Librarian Robbin Gaebler told The Reporter that library staff counted more than 750 people standing outside during the ribbon cutting.

“So we figure about 1,000 probably came through the door in the first hour,” she said. “For the whole day, we estimate about 3,000 people came to the library. Our Friends of the Library group ordered 1,000 cookies for kids, and they gave them all out by 2pm!”

The enthusiasm for the new library did not wear off anytime soon. The Reporter returned on Sunday in the late afternoon, and found it still full and thriving with activity.

Gaebler said the library checked out 8,471 items between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday, and about 4,000 on Sunday, despite only being open between 1 and 5 p.m.

To help residents get to know their new library, volunteer docents will be conducting tours of the facility.

Tours will be held today, Jan. 15, at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., and then every weekend this month, at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

Tours will come together at the information desk. Docents will provide insights and information about the art, architecture, special features and new materials at the library. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the new building, and learn about the history of the Sammamish Library and its role in the community.

For more information phone 425-392-3130 or go to www.kcls.org/sammamish