Most libraries will have their “regulars” like King, and Minot Public and Ward County Public libraries are no different. From the youngest patrons taking in a story hour to retired seniors making use of physical and electronic materials, there’s something for everyone at the library.

King, a retired airline employee, describes himself as an avid reader. A trivia buff, he likes to browse atlases and old city directories. Intrigued by history, he seeks out books and magazines that cater to that interest. At the library nearly every weekday morning, he particularly enjoys the magazines, whether it’s The New Yorker or Popular Mechanics.

“They’re all free here and they don’t clutter up your house,” he said.

King majored in English in college. From North Carolina, he came to Minot with the Air Force in 1975 and later worked for Northwest Airlines before retiring. He’s been a regular patron of the Minot Public Library for about 20 years. He’s a lifetime member of Friends of the Library and a past board member for the library.

Jill Schramm/MDN Central Campus students Elaina Haffner, left, Ezrael Haffner and Riley Thompson, right, gather at the Ward County Public Library’s computer center after school on Feb. 7.

“I’ve traveled all over the U.S., been in all 50 states, been in a lot of different libraries. This is the best one I’ve ever seen,” King said. The reason is simple.

“The people. They really give you service,” he said of the staff. “I just like this place.”

Brett Holtz visits the Minot Public Library three to four times a month. Employed in the banking industry, he relocated back to Minot in 2012 after about 20 years in South Dakota.

“So when we got back one of the first things I did was get my library card,” he said. “I was really shocked at just all the different services that the library offers.”

A friend on the library staff recommended he join a book club.

Jill Schramm/MDN Brett Holtz browses the history section at Minot Public Library Feb. 5.

“Every couple months we we take a look at a book and there’s about 10 to 12 of us that discuss it. It’s neat to see all the different perspectives,” Holtz said.

In his library browsing, he gravitates toward books, CDs and DVDs on historical topics as well as the new releases.

“I’m really a firm believer in libraries. I think they can really help a community, keeps them strong,” Holtz said. “I think libraries are becoming more and more important with technology and the social programs throughout the community too. They help children, young adults. Keeps them out of trouble and helps them learn.”

Spending time at the Minot library is a favorite pastime of the Voeller family.

Julie Voeller brings four-year-old Reed to the Monday morning children’s class, and Dane, 10, and Brody, 8, come to the after-school program on Mondays. They also try to make it to Lego events and an occasional movie at the library. In the summer, they participate in the summer reading program, visiting the library three or four times a week.

Jill Schramm/MDN Joe King looks over a magazine at Minot Public Library Feb. 6.

“I love reading, and I’ve always had books around them and always just offered them the library and books. So all three of them love reading. We keep books in our car. We have several bookshelves around the house. When we go on trips, books are the first thing they pack because they just love having a book around,” Voeller said.

She occasionally gets a chance to sneak upstairs in the library to check out books for herself from the adult reading material. Her children are gaining skills with the library website and apps, including tracking to see that books are returned on time and taking the financial responsibility when they aren’t.

“They love the library and we’ve come to know the librarians really well. It’s just a really fun environment for them to be in,” Voeller said. “My boys are so comfortable here. They have no problem going to ask a librarian before me if they have trouble finding something on the shelf. When kids are comfortable somewhere, that says a lot about a place and who’s in charge there.”

Sisters Ezrael and Elaina Haffner are among Central Campus students who have found a comfortable place at the Ward County Library. Ezrael Haffner said it’s a convenient place to hang out after school while waiting for a ride home when their father finishes work.

“I like to do my homework and I like to do research on just random questions I’ve got,” she said. When not working at the computer, she has a favorite chair in the library where she sits to read.

Jill Schramm/MDN Richard Cheatley chooses books from the shelves of the Ward County Public Library Feb. 19.

“It’s the right setting. It’s really quiet here and I like quiet,” she said. “It’s a good place to relax.”

Riley Thompson, a Central Campus student, also likes to visit the Ward County Library after school.

“We do homework here, read a book that I brought from school or play games,” he said. He and the Haffners agree part of the attraction to the library is the people. Patrons are quiet and respectful of others and everyone gets along, they say.

A Riverdale resident and Vietnam veteran, Richard Cheatley drops by the Ward County Library a couple of times a month when in Minot to visit the Veterans Center.

“I will pick up usually six or seven small paperback westerns and three or four hardcover books,” he said. “I’m a little fanatical about books, but they have been a part of my life since I can remember, and that’s not going to change.”

The Ward County Library also introduced him to ebooks on his tablet. He discovered audio books in 2010 after buying a car with a CD player.

“The library not only gives me the printed word but now it gives me words that I can listen to when I travel, and I love to travel,” he said.

Any library works for him, but he particularly loves the Ward County Library because of the people.

“They are good to me,” said Cheatley, who can walk into the library to find books set aside for him from his favorite authors or from librarian recommendations. He’s not the only regular customer getting personal treatment, he added.

“I guess it’s the friendliness of the people up here,” he said. “It’s the people that make the library.”

The retired school teacher and administrator discovered the joys of the Ward County Library as a principal in Parshall, where he thought he’d died and gone to heaven when he discovered a bookmobile would deliver books to him. After retiring, he kept his relationship with the Ward County Library by visiting the downtown library.

“I don’t know what I’d do without a library,” he said. “The library means more to me than just books. Its a place where I come to relax. I come to visit friends.”

Helen Grant is a regular visitor at the Ward County bookmobile stop in Tagus, where she lives.

“They really have everything. They are well equipped,” said Grant, a long-time bookmobile user. She previously took advantage of the bookmobile stop in Berthold, where she worked before retiring. She looks for new books by her favorite authors but generally just browses the collection and has introduced her granddaughter to the children’s selections.

Without the bookmobile, Grant would need to travel 25 miles to Stanley or 32 miles to Minot to visit a library. So having a library pull up near her home every month is a welcome treat.

“It’s a happy day when the bookmobile comes,” she said.