Nine authors were on hand at the Lincoln County Public Library Thursday for a reception to celebrate National Library Week.

“I think we had over 100 people from all walks of life,” Friends of the Lincoln County Library founder Pam Womack said. “That was really fascinating. It felt like such a tight-knit community. We were all there for the same reason, which is to celebrate the library.”

Among the features for the event were nine authors, all either native to Brookhaven or living in Brookhaven.

“That was a real thrill to see people going to those tables, talking to the authors, asking about their books, buying their books and getting autographs,” Womack said. “There was a lot of interest in the books. That was the first thing you saw when you came in the front door.”

Friends put on the event to celebrate National Library Week and to celebrate the completion of the library’s renovation. Dr. Kim Sessums, the mind behind the renovation, was there to speak about his designs.

Throughout the week, posters submitted by fourth through sixth graders around the county have also been on display in the library. Patrons were given the chance to vote for their favorite. Jillian Porter from Brookhaven took home the win.

“They were adorable posters,” Womack said. “They were so good. They really caught the spirit that was the transformation of the library. The main theme, I noticed, was that the library transforms you.

“I thought that was really interesting that these fourth through sixth graders really know that about the library. They were beautifully done,” she said.

Patrons were also able to put their name in a drawing for two Kindle Fire tablets, though Womack said the winners of the drawing were not present at the event.

Womack said her favorite part of the evening was that it gave people a chance to come and appreciate the library together.

“The really neat thing was lots of people sat around at the library and talked,” Womack said. “All kinds of people. We had a very diverse crowd. That’s what I think made people feel so good. It made everybody feel good about the library. And I think it made people feel good about the community.”

Over its lifetime, Womack said Friends has raised between $60,000 and $70,000 for the library. One recent fundraiser was the “fill-a-bag” fundraiser, where patrons could fill a bag of for-sale books for $5. Womack said that fundraiser was so popular they’ve extended it another week.

“Our whole purpose is to get people to come to the library and see what’s there,” Womack said. “There’s so much there. We’re grateful to our business sponsors and our individual sponsors. They enable us to do things that we wouldn’t be able to do.”