A view of Deer Mountain from the inside of the new Ketchikan Public Library,

The Friends of the Ketchikan Public Library hosted the Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce After Hours event Thursday at the new library building. The city has not yet taken ownership of the building, but it’s essentially complete. Furniture and stacks for the books still need to be put into place before the library can start moving in, sometime in the next couple of months.

The front circulation desk of the new Ketchikan Public Library.

This empty space soon will be filled with stacks of books.

The Children’s Library is at the far end of the new building. There also is a separate space for teenagers.

A gas fireplace gives a warm glow in the main part of the new library. The flames are safely enclosed behind heat-resistant glass.