A few minutes after the doors opened to the new Kenmore Library, one girl excitedly said to another: “Let’s run around and get lost in here.”

It’s taken about 6 ½ years from inception to completion — and some snags along the way — but the library finally opened its doors July 9.

“We are so psyched, the community has waited a long time for this,” Robin Wharton, operations supervisor, said recently during a breakfast break from the first staff meeting in the new, 10,000-square-foot building.

The grand-opening ceremony took place at 9:30 a.m. and the building officially opened at 10 a.m. at 6531 N.E. 181st St. The former 1,800-square-foot, triple-wide-trailer library (18138 73rd Ave. N.E.) closed up shop July 7-8 as the final move to the new library began.

According to Elmer Skold of the Kenmore Heritage Society, the Kenmore Library opened in 1958 in a converted barn near Kenmore Elementary, and the trailer was in existence since 1976 (in the 1930s and ‘40s, a bookmobile made bi-weekly stops in the area). Wharton said the old library had six employees and the new one has 16. She’s in awe of their state-of-the-art phone system, which Shannon Martin from Black Box introduced to the staff recently.

“It’s a big difference, a quantum leap in staffing and services and collection,” Wharton said. “(We had an) 18,000-item order of brand-spanking-new things that we shelved in two days.”

King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson (bottom with daughter, Katie), one of the guest speakers at the grand opening, relayed third U.S. President Thomas Jefferson’s quote to the crowd: “I cannot live without books.” He added: “I think you can extend that from an individual to an entire community. The learning that’s here in the library — the past, the present, the future — it’s all here for all of us.”

Construction on the $8.4-million project broke ground June 8, 2010. The price tag includes books, materials, computers, space for children and teens and a community meeting room. There will also be an underground parking garage.

Construction work that is currently under way at many King County Library System (KCLS) libraries is aided by a $172-million capital bond supported by residents in September 2004. The KCLS Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) was developed through extensive community outreach, involvement and discussion prior to the election and includes enhancements for all KCLS libraries to meet community needs during the next decade.

“I am pumped,” Kenmore City Councilmember Glenn Rogers told the crowd at the grand opening. “I want to thank you, because you guys made it possible. You made the baseline for us to go from there to here, and without your participation in the library system, we wouldn’t be here.”

Speakers also praised former Kenmore Mayor Jack Crawford for his support to bring a new library to town.

Richard Eadie, KCLS board president, reminded the crowd that the first bond issue in 2003 failed to get the required number of votes, but people came through in 2004 to pass the bond and get the library plans rolling.

He was impressed with “how energized this community was and how focused this community was on getting that bond issue back on the ballot and getting it passed.” Eadie added that the library stands as a testimonial of how success can come to fruition when the community and library system work together.

The new Kenmore Library timeline began in January 2005, when KCLS hired real-estate consultants to search for a location. In the following years, several spots were considered, until the final location was secured. However, there were delays as the U.S. Post Office made plans for relocation and finally opened its new Kenmore building on April 26, 2010.

Julie Brand, KCLS community relations and marketing director, said that with all the library construction across the county and dealings with other parties, it’s common to experience a snag or two.

But that’s in the past for Kenmore.

“We’re probably just as excited as the community is,” Brand said of the library’s opening. “It’s a fantastic library. It’s going to be a great asset and resource to the community.”

After the throng of grand-opening attendees filed through the doors at 10 a.m. sharp last Saturday, Judy Fawcett of Kenmore was spotted checking out Lawrence Block’s “Hit and Run” and Raymond Chandler’s “Collected Stories.”

“They brought in a bunch of really cool brand-new books,” said the former Northshore School District instructor. “It’s so exciting, (the library) is really the heart of the community — the school system, of course, as well — and I just love sitting and coming in. There’s people learning and reading, it’s just a great atmosphere.”

With tiny arms full of books in the checkout area, Camden and Rylie Burrows — along with mom, Molly — favored Joy Allen’s “Princess Party,” Jules Feiffer’s “Bark, George” and a Daisy Meadows Rainbow Magic Series selection.

“We’ve been waiting a long time to have the new library open, haven’t we?” Molly asked her daughters. “We’re excited, we wouldn’t miss (the grand opening). We just got back from vacation and made sure we got here.”

Jeffrey Chinn, an Inglemoor High senior-to-be, cruised through the library last Saturday, giving it the once-over. He plans to spend a lot of time in the new building, which is closer to his Kenmore home.

“It’s definitely a lot bigger than the old one. I usually used to go to Lake Forest Park or Bothell — I can just walk over here now,” he said.

“It definitely looks nice. I’m looking forward to seeing what they’ve got here.”

About a half hour after presenting an American flag and reciting the “Pledge of Allegiance” out front with her Girl Scout Troop 42355 (Cub Scout Pack 622 and Girl Scout Troop 2176 joined them), Chloe Tennison of Kenmore summed up her thoughts on the new library succinctly: “Well, I think it’s the best library I’ve ever seen.”

The library will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. It will be closed Sundays.