It’s been five years since the Cedar Rapids floods and the city is still recovering from destroyed land, homes and businesses.

On Saturday the city took another step towards flood recovery by opening its new library for the city.

At the new downtown Cedar Rapids Library, kids can take a special passage to take them into their part of the library, the children’s section.

“We’ve been wanting to have a pack of kids in this library for the last month and now we’ve got them,” said Library Director Bob Pasicznyuk.

Some book lovers are too young to remember the old Cedar Rapids Library, the one from before the floods.

But many new visitors said they plan to spend time reading here now that it’s open.

Adults also have their own space and there are also outdoor areas to relax with a book.

“Wow. It’s really neat,” said attendee Pat Stieglitz.

The theme at the Grand Opening was ‘This is my Library’.

“You and all the other citizens in Cedar Rapids should take ownership in the project. It’s you library,” said Mayor Ron Corbett.

That’s why one thousand library users helped cut the ribbon at the opening and even more visited the library on its first day.

“Libraries build strong communities and strong communities then build strong libraries.  You’ve got better educated infrastructure.  You’ve got kids who are prepared for school and life,” said Pasicznyuk.

Many adults attending the opening remember old versions of the library.

But for new readers, this will be the library they remember.