PROVO — Strolling the aisles of Provo's new library at Academy Square, Rachel Uibel didn't show the strain of someone about to make history.
She picked out eight books — including "King Bidgoods in the Bathtub" and " 'Only Joking,' Laughed the Lobster" — and then patiently waited for Provo Mayor Lewis Billings, who would check out her books.
The library director, dressed in a tuxedo with a green vest, was standing in front of two glass doors as television crews set up their cameras, waiting for Uibel to make her way to the check-out counter.
It was a special day for Uibel, who skipped class at Maeser Elementary to check out the first book from Provo's new library.
While there, she had an epiphany.
Sitting on a pillow in the children's reading room, Uibel looked up and said:
"Mom, this is my future."
Uibel's dream to become a librarian may be unique, but the 6-year-old's fascination with the city's new library, and perhaps her desire to live inside it, are sentiments many Provo residents can understand.
The library, 550 N. University Ave., was so busy on its first day of business that the library director, still in his tuxedo, had to help check out books. A count of just how many books were checked out Thursday was not available this morning.
For many Provo residents, Thursday was their first chance to go inside the building, which cost nearly $24 million to renovate.
The library's grand opening is Saturday at 10:30 a.m. The city anticipates a crowd so large that it has decided to shut down the portion of University Avenue in front of Academy Square for the ceremony. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will be the keynote speaker.
Uibel was a fitting choice as the person to check out the first book. Uibel and her three siblings love to read. On a typical visit to the library, the family checks out 20-30 children's books.
Rachel's mom, Jill, estimates each of her four children check out five to 10 books per visit, which they read in about a week. Jill and her husband turned off their television to encourage their kids to read.
Rachel has checked out "King Bidgoods in the Bathtub" several times.
"Do you want to see the activity room while we wait for the mayor?" asked city spokesman Mike Mower. Holding her mother's hand, Uibel nodded.
Mower opened the door to the room and pointed to a special side entrance about three feet tall. Rachel smiled as she ducked through the miniature door.
Once inside, Mower opened a closet that contained boxes for "walking puppets" and "sock puppets."
Sensing the mayor's arrival, Mower ushered the Uibels out of the room and prepared the day's biggest star for her moment in the glare of TV lights.
Uibel, wearing red socks and a matching cardigan over a khaki skirt, shifted her books, putting "Clifford: Where is the Big Red Doggie?" on top, and walked through the children's library to the check-out counter.
After two staged entrances into the library for the press, Mayor Billings took a seat behind the check-out counter and greeted the library's first patron.
"What books are we checking out today?" Billings asked.
The television crews edged closer as Uibel handed the mayor her stack of books and took her library card out of the front pocket of her skirt.
Billings swiped the books under the laser scanner, making "Bugs in Play" the first book ever checked out at Provo's library and Uibel a historical figure of sorts.
She took her mother's hand, smiled and patiently awaited the TV reporters, who would surely want to know how she had accomplished this feat with such grace.
E-MAIL: jhyde@desnews.com