On Friday afternoon, at a celebration to honor the 10th anniversary of the Edgartown Library’s current location, library director Lisa Sherman and youth services coordinator Elyce Retmier reminisced while standing in front of the “staff picks” shelf nearby.
The two women have worked at the library since it was still located at the old Carnegie building on North Water street. The move to Edgartown-West Tisbury Road took place in March of 2016.
“I’m so proud of what we’ve built here,” Ms. Sherman said.
Friday’s festivities paid tribute to the library’s ongoing importance. The women described the library as a vibrant hub where the community gathers six days a week for a wide range of activities. They added that building the new library was itself a seven-year community effort and thanked the committee members and donors who gathered for the anniversary.
“We had a parade over to the new library where everyone could carry a book over,” Ms. Retmier said, recalling the move-in day.
“Our kids were in the ribbon cutting,” Ms. Sherman added.
The event on Friday began with assistant librarian Chris Look slicing into a half-chocolate half-vanilla cake as kids crowded around, eager for their sugar fix.
“I want vanilla,” said sixth grader Amanda DaCosta, who is part of a group of students who head to the library after school.
Ms. Retmier’s connection to the library goes back generations, following in the footsteps of her grandmother who worked at the old Carnegie library. Ms. Retmier also attended the Edgartown School when it stood on the site of the current library.
She started her career at the library in 2010, shortly after moving back to the Island with her one year-old son. Saturday’s anniversary was an emotional moment for her.
“I just can’t wait to see what the next 10-plus years are going to be like here,” Ms. Retmier said.
Hundreds of photos of the library’s first few years were posted in the multipurpose room, where the library hosts Saturday morning yoga, galleries for local artists and rehearsals for the Island Community Chorus.
Both Ms. Sherman and Ms. Retmier said looking at the photos of the kids brought back fond memories, since many of the regulars grew up listening to storytime and making crafts during the new building’s early years. They said moving the library next to the school helped get more kids to participate.
Pictures of Amanda DaCosta from when she was quite young hung on the wall. In one photo she and her friends are holding freshly hatched chickens, in another one she is wearing a handmade paper crown.
In between bites of cake, Amanda summed up the anniversary in her own words.
“It’s happiness,” she said.
This article appears in March 27, 2026.