On behalf of the ImagineIF Library Foundation Board and the Bigfork Library Capital Campaign Committee, we would like to thank the community of Bigfork and library friends far and wide for the patience, belief, and financial support that made the dream of a new library possible.
The new Bigfork Library is a wonderful expression of what makes our community so unique, from the architecture and interior design work inspired by Flathead Lake and the beautiful natural surroundings, to the bridges that connect us to the wider world, just like a library does. Bigfork now has a modern library with resources for everyone, including the AGL Foundation Children’s Area, Bert and Kari Arnlund Community Room, Patrick Box Patio, Laura G. Barrett Reading Room, Andrea Goff and Al Logan Maker Space, Laura Long Community Patio, and a special teen zone, modern technology, and of course, lots of books!
This new library was built not by your tax dollars, but by the community itself. It’s yours to use and explore, and with six times the space of the old downtown library, the possibilities are endless, and you’ll definitely get a parking spot!
The Bigfork library branch took eight years and a small army of devoted community members to complete. It was no small feat, overcoming obstacles like property transfers to pandemic fundraising constraints. But the need was so important that we kept moving forward, intent on bringing a great library to a great community.
On July 1, ImagineIF Library Foundation gifted the library to Flathead County as its newest branch in the Flathead County Library system. It opened to the public on a joyous August morning with library lovers of all ages anticipating the cutting of red ribbon. Now, Flathead County will ensure the library is maintained, staffed, and resourced to the best standards, because great communities deserve great libraries.
This holiday season is a perfect time to visit and revisit the Bigfork Library, and be inspired by all the opportunities and resources available. Bigfork now has a space to gather as a community, to grow and learn together. Even when Bigfork is swimming in tourists and events, there will always be an inviting place to come and reconnect with your neighbors, find a good book, an impressive adult program, a “cool” teen activity, children’s stories and adventures, music and games, and so much more. Your imagination is the only limit to the Bigfork Library’s potential.
We are proud to have built a library that reflects Bigfork, and we hope other Flathead County Library communities will be able to create a vision for what is possible in theirs too. Public-private partnerships that serve the greatest good are hallmarks of vibrant communities. Andrew Carnegie famously called public libraries the “palaces for the people,” creating space for democracy through shared spaces and connections. To Bigfork and the greater Flathead Valley, your palace awaits.
Andrea Goff, Albert Logan, Capital Campaign Co-Chairs; Sara Busse, Executive Director; Teri Dugan, Library Director; Valerie Carlin, Emily Crawford, Hilary Devlin, Jordonna Dores, Jake Fulkerson, Sharon Furlong, Jude Konat, and Erica Wirtala.