PRIEST RIVER — If you had to guess, which would you say is older: the city of Priest River or its library?

The correct answer is the Priest River Library.

"I always call this building, the Field of Dreams," West Bonner Library District director Meagan Mize said as she looked around the library during its 100th anniversary celebration on Oct. 3. "Build it and they will come."

A village since it was settled in 1889, Priest River wasn't officially incorporated until 1937, according to the Idaho Heritage Trust. Meanwhile, the library can trace its roots to 1926, with conversations predating its official start dating back as far as 1922.

"A group of women formed what they called "The Weekenders Club," Mize said. "It was an all-female society with charter and bylaws. We still have all those documents."

Mize said the club's members began meeting in 1922 or so, bringing books to lend and paying dues to further their cause. And every so often, they would make the books available to the community.

"The women would bring 10 cents, 50 cents, or whatever it might be, and a book and hold those pop-up libraries in their homes or at the mercantile, one or two weekends a month, whatever they could do," Mize said. "That was the first formation of organized book lending in Priest River. And, in 1925, they were able to acquire space in what is now the Artisan Gallery."

A short while later, on Jan. 16, 1926, the club held its grand opening for its first brick-and-mortar space.

Within short order, the library outgrew the space and moved twice before purchasing a building for $15, moving it to the Congregational Church property, WBLD officials said.

The new library proved popular, both among residents and Priest River officials. However, economic uncertainty and a scarlet fever epidemic brought challenges, which library supporters were able to overcome, and by 1937, the library's name had been changed to The Library Club, and an offer was made to house the library in a room of the new Priest River City Hall.

The next 50 years saw continued support for the library, with The Library Club continuing to meet, purchase books and catalog the library's growing number of selections.

By 1986, the library again moved, only across the hall into the much larger auditorium. A year later, the library went public and the Priest River City Council hired Connie Salesky to be the district's first librarian.

In 2000, community members voted to go from a city library to a library district, expanding service beyond Priest River city limits. In 2021, thanks to the hard work of Katie Crill, the district's first librarian, Mize said a long-sought remodel of the former Priest River Medical Clinic created the facility used today. That expansion added a new community room, the site of the library's birthday party, as well as a children's room, two small study rooms for meetings or online testing and an expanded area for books, computers and other items that brings an open, airy feel to the library.

"I think she had the foresight of 'We really need to get on this now," Mize said. "She was extremely frugal for many, many, many, many years. … If she hadn't gotten on top of it right then, when the money was collected, it might have been a harrowing situation (during the remodel). We might still be sitting in the old building."

While the library was a popular spot before that remodel, circulation has grown exponentially with five times the door counts today compared to five years ago. The district, which is part of the InlandShare Library Group, circulates roughly 1,000 items per week through the consortium.

"The old library was well used, but not anywhere near the degree that we are now," Mize said.

Reliable service through the library's high-speed internet connection gives students and at-home workers the ability to work, catch up on homework or do research. But as nice as the service is, Mize said its staff is the true gem of the facility.

"The library is still a vital part of the community that should be supported," she added. "Librarians are as good as Google; we know a lot of things. We have a lot of resources and we not only have books, but we have classes, educational and cultural opportunities. We have a 'Library of Things' where people can check out everything from rock tumblers and Instapots to learning kits for kids."

Also celebrating the library's centennial were members of the West Bonner Library District's Friends of the Library.

A lifelong reader, member Brenda Lewis stumbled across the group while checking out an exhibit at the Priest River Library. Being a FOL member, she gets to help others discover their next favorite read and give back to the community at the same time.

"I just think it's important to do something, to give back," Lewis said. "Goodness knows I've got all the time in the world now that I'm retired."

Besides, she added, libraries are a good thing, and she wanted to be a part of keeping a key hub of the community thriving.

"With media getting so digitized, I wanted to do my bit to keep those little stuffy books around," Lewis said.

She remembers always reading, and getting her first library card.

"I was in the second or third grade and so I went and got books and took them home," Lewis said. "I lived about a block away and I went home and read them all. I came back that afternoon and wanted to get more books. The librarian said, 'Honey, honey, no. You're supposed to keep them at least a day.'"

Like other FOL members, Lewis raves about how the library's staff are friendly, helpful and a whiz at helping unravel technological problems. A book isn't on the shelf? Lewis said she takes advantage of the library's interlibrary loan program.

"Reading is just one of the best things we have in life," she added.

Broderick agreed.

"We have wonderful staff and wonderful readers and now I'm actually using the computer to look up books because we have an organization where there are quite a few libraries so you can check out just about any book in the world that you would want to read," she added. "And even though this might be a smallish library, I have access to every book that I might want to read."

Another must at the library? Main Street Books.

The group's brick-and-mortar storefront, tucked into a cozy space near the library, is open Fridays and Saturdays. Prices are kept low to keep books accessible to everyone, Broderick said.

"We want everybody to afford to have books," she added.

A retired teacher, Irene Broderick loves being a part of both the library's book club and the local Friends of the Library group.

"My dedication, since I moved here, has been to the library," she added.

Broderick, who joined the group after moving to the community to be closer to family, said she's always loved libraries.

"Libraries have always been very special to me," she added. "In high school, our school just had a great librarian. Nobody in my family had ever gone to college before but I had all these books I could read."

    Residents explore historic photographs as they help the Priest River Library celebrate its 100th anniversary earlier this month. While the celebration was held Oct. 3, the library turned 100 years old on Jan. 16, a celebration was held Oct. 3 to give more residents a chance to attend the party.