After years of opening its doors to the community, the Princess Anne Library celebrates its 20th anniversary. Commemorative festivities ran from Sept. 15 to Oct. 7, 2023.

“We feel excited because 20 years ago when this library was built, it was a prototype library,” said Princess Anne Library Branch Manager Ashley Barrineau. “A prototype library is a library that is established for the future thinking of other libraries.”

This year’s library events included story time, crafts, trivia, dancing and special guests.

“Councilwoman Barbara Henley, who formerly served as the president of the Virginia Historical Society, will be the biggest guest on Oct. 7,” said Barrineau. “[She is] going to come and talk about the history of Princess Anne County.”

In addition to special guest speakers, the library also celebrated with a new event, an escape room. The escape room’s theme was the “Witch of Pungo.”

“The escape room has been successful so far,” said TAG (Teen Advisory Group) volunteer Arlette Carpenter. “Adults and children are enjoying it. First, they solve the riddle on the board which leads to clues. They put together the clues using a math problem to figure out the key. The key is then used to escape.”

The Princess Anne Library has frequently made headlines because of its improved conventional library practices.

“We are the first library in the Northern Hemisphere to circulate surfboards,” said Barrineau. “Today, we launched a fall collection of exploring outdoor items. This includes a ghost-hunting kit, a metal detector and a trail camera. We are pushing the boundaries of what you would expect in a library and not see a library as just a place to get books.”

Many locals utilize the library, which ranges from children to elders.

“We have a great connection with the locals,” said library programming specialist Ekaterina Hutchison. “We try to make as many programs as we can to connect with the people.”