KEARNEY, NE — It’s been 10 years since since it doubled in size and the Kearney Public Library continues to grow its offerings.

Library staff celebrated the 10-year mark since its big addition and renovation on Friday. They organized a scavenger hunt, offered prize drawings and set up a photo display of the library’s history - a fun project for Reference Librarian Sarah Haack.

“Looking at it now and seeing how much more space we have, it’s kind of like, how did we function in that tiny space before?” Haack said.

Physical books remain popular, but the library has added other offerings as the world has moved online.

“Our digital collection, which you don’t see when you come into the library, has gotten even more popular with COVID," Haack said. "We have the makerspace with creative equipment for people and the community space for people to use. So we’ll be around for a long time and it’s nice to continue to grow.”

The renovation added public meeting rooms, which are drawing more people than ever. The library set a record with 99 groups hosting meetings last month. Staff expects to busy over the coming months, with the summer reading program starting June 1st.