Johnson County Library’s new Kaycee Branch Library is now open to the public.
Johnson County Libraries (JCL) recently celebrated the opening of their new Kaycee Branch Library, culminating many months of hard work, dedication, and community collaboration.
“We asked the people of Kaycee for their input,” said JCL Director Lindsey Belliveau. “The feedback we gathered from the community about what they wanted and needed in their new library impacted the design of our new building.”
The circulation desk just inside the entrance welcomes patrons to the library.
The new Kaycee Branch Library includes welcoming spaces for community members to gather and find the media they need, as well as a large meeting room that can be used for programming and community events. Along with more space, the new facility has enhanced accessibility for all community members in its restrooms, parking lot, and entryways.
The exterior of the new library building complements the historic storefronts on Kaycee’s main street just a few blocks away.
“We wanted the library to look like it belongs here,” said Lindsey. “And it does.”
Along with cozy seating areas for patrons to read and connect in small groups, the new library building also includes a meeting room for larger groups and community events.
Kaycee community members not only helped inform the design of the new library building, but contributed to the manual labor involved, as well.
“We needed to move all of the books out of the old library building prior to demolition,” said Lindsey. “People showed up with very little notice to help, and we were able to get the job done within the short timeframe that we had. It really has been a community project.”
The Kaycee Branch Library has come a long way since it was first established in 1951 and served the community in the historic log cabin that also housed the Kaycee City Hall. The new building replaces the structure that was originally built in 1968 and annexed in 1985.
The JCL logo
This project was supported by, in whole or in part, by the Wyoming Library Multipurpose Community Facility Program (WLMCFP) funded by federal award number CPFFN0188 awarded to the State of Wyoming by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
“We are so grateful for the grant funding that allowed us to build our beautiful new library,” said Lindsey. “This is going to be so wonderful for the Kaycee community.”
The new Kaycee Branch Library is beautiful, functional, and certain to be a place of learning, connection, and growth for the members of the Kaycee community for many years to come.
Here are more photos of the new Kaycee Branch Library in Johnson County:
Several small meeting rooms are available for community use.
Enhanced accessibility opens up the new library to all community members.
The new library’s meeting room is perfect for larger group meetings, library programs, and community events.
The library’s full kitchen allows for effective preparation before and cleanup after library events and programs.