By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

HELENA–Birthday signs, refreshments, banners and of course plenty of books filled the meeting room of the Jane B. Holmes public library in Helena on Thursday, Sept. 22, as the library celebrated 29 years of being in the city.

To celebrate the occasion, the library held an all-day book sale for those visiting the birthday party and attendees also received a coupon to receive one free book from the sale.

While browsing for a new book, visitors also enjoyed snacks and a drink while sorting through hundreds of donated books at the sale.

Jane B. Holmes Library Director Dan Dearing has held his same position as director for nearly eight years and said that reading is still important even with so much technology today.

“I think the library is a great place for people to get together and it’s still very important to read throughout life,” said Dearing. “The library is free and we offer a lot of resources here for a variety of people.”

In the years the Jane B. Holmes library has been in Helena, one of the biggest additions came in 1999, when the library received funds to add more space, which is now the meeting room and children’s department.

Dearing encourages those who live in Helena to visit the library and sign up for a free library card. The library is also currently accepting book donations.

The book sale celebrating the library’s birthday will last through Saturday, Sept. 24.

The Jane B. Holmes library is located at 230 Tucker Road and the hours of operation are Monday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday-Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.