FAIRHOPE, Ala. — While Billy Mann wandered the stacks Thursday deciding which books to check out, other people surfed the Internet, worked in private study rooms, heard tales at the story time stage, browsed the new DVD and books-on-tape collection, gathered at group-seating tables in the two-story light-filled Colony Reading Room, or read a novel in a comfortable easy chair in a hidden alcove.

It was just another busy day at the Fairhope Public Library, which celebrated its first anniversary in the new building, located across the street from Faulkner State Community College, on Jan. 22.

“We toured eight or nine libraries around the region,” said Mac Walcott, whose architecture firm, Walcott Adams Verneuille, designed the building. “One of the things we did not want was just another book warehouse. There’s a trend in library construction now that libraries should be activity places. That’s what the layout of the new library is intended to encourage.”

It seems to be working.

Upstairs that day, the library’s new Teen Advisory Board had its first meeting in a large conference room. And in a little-known suite of classrooms, more than two dozen nursing students trained in what looked like a small hospital ward.

And Wednesday in the adjacent auditorium, best-selling author Rita Mae Brown will release her new novel and sign books in an event to benefit The Haven, the city’s no-kill animal shelter.

And that is just a small sampling of library activities.

“The library is a beautiful addition to the community,” said Mayor Tim Kant. “And because of its central location, it’s going to help keep our downtown vital.”

At Monday’s City Council meeting, Martin Lanaux, chairman of the library board, presented a copy of the library’s five-year strategic plan.

“This is our plan to serve the citizens and community to give them the best possible service,” he said.

Lanaux said that a number of the library’s goals and objectives are aimed at serving the needs of children and young adults, in order to encourage lifelong reading habits.

“We come just about every week,” said LaDonna Mann of Magnolia Springs. “Both my sons got their new cards today.”

She was at the library Thursday with Billy, 7, and Dwayne, who turns 10 this month.

“He really took to it this year,” Mann said Friday of her youngest son, who’s in the 2nd grade at Magnolia School. “All of a sudden it just happened.”

Billy carried an armful of books around the library Thursday, picking one up and putting another down, until he finally settled on four to check out. The giant fantasy novel, Eragon, won out a over a slightly smaller Harry Potter.

“He walks around with books all day,” his mother said. ”He sometimes reads 10 chapters a day. It’s a constant thing. He took his books to school today to show what he had checked out.”

A copy of the library’s “Five-Year Plan for Library Services Development 2007-2001” is available at the Fairhope Public Library.

The library is open Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 928-7483 or visit its Web site at www.fairhopelibrary.org.