Rainbow Library set for birthday

      It has all the makings of an exciting birthday bash. From the balloons that will adorn the room to the slicing of a sweet and tasty birthday cake, this 4-year-old's birthday party doesn't sound out of the ordinary.
      But, instead of celebrating a young child's birthday, the revelers at this party will be singing "Happy Birthday to You" to the Rainbow Library.
      The library, located on the southeast corner of Cheyenne Road and North Buffalo Drive, is celebrating its fourth birthday in grand fashion with a public birthday party today at 4 p.m.
      "This library means so much to this community," said Theresa Handleman of the Rainbow Library's young people's library. "Since the day we opened the doors here we have been busy and people use the facility and have a real sense of what it is all about."
      Handleman has planned the birthday celebration and said she has planned it for people of all ages.
      "I think a lot of people think of children when you have a celebration like this," Handleman said. "But this is for everyone who has used the library or for those who want to know more about it. Sure we're going to have cake and sing a little but adults can join in and we really want them to."
      When the library flung open its doors four years ago, the closest library to residents of Northwest Las Vegas was the West Charleston library, which was more than a 10-mile drive for some residents.
      "I live up in Painted Desert near Ann Road," said Victor Ramos, a 66-year-old retired Air Force pilot. "I used to have to drive around 11 miles to go use a library. When this place opened I was overjoyed. I still have to drive but now it's not as far."
      The need for more libraries in the Northwest is apparent with the amount of unbridled growth in the fastest growing region of the Las Vegas Valley.
      "On most days we are the second busiest library right behind the main library on Flamingo and Maryland Parkway," Handleman said. "There are some days when we are actually busier checking in and checking out materials. It really says a lot about the people in the Northwest and how much the library means to them."
      In fact, Handleman said the Rainbow Library currently issues more than 100 new library cards a week. Handleman attributes the popularity of the library to the residents who make up the Northwest.
      "People up here are very library-oriented," Handleman said. "They are particularly involved with the library because most of them have children and bring them here to learn and read."
      Children do make up a large percentage of the patrons at the Rainbow Library. The library runs a weekly story-telling program and other programs aimed at kids.
      "Kids are going to use libraries their whole life so why not get them started when they are young," Handleman said. "The joy of seeing a child read a book is wonderful and you see it all the time here."
      Rebecca Lose brings her 6-year-old son, Justin, to the Rainbow Library just about every day.
      "It's very important to us that Justin learn to read well and read a lot," Lose said. "Both of us are educated and went to college and did well because we were exposed to reading at an early age."
      Lose said Justin looks at a trip to the Rainbow Library the way some kids see a trip to the local ice cream parlor or McDonald's restaurant.
      "If it was up to him he would move his room here and become a permanent resident," Lose said. "It just proves if you expose kids to reading at an early age they will love it for life."