Perhaps some arrived ready to criticise – after all the new building’s giant lattice facade of grey and orange steel panels had raised concerns.

“Because the streetscape was mainly older-type buildings, people were saying it was too modern,” Friends of the Albury Library Museum member Shirley Dobson said.

“But I think the minute it opened and people came inside, everyone goes ‘Ah…’. How could you not love it?”

Since July 27, 2007, more than 2.3 million people have walked through the Kiewa Street doors, borrowing 2,454,587, and rising, items.

Albury deputy mayor Amanda Cohn told Thursday’s 10th anniversary celebrations the combined library museum worked together perfectly.

“It’s classy, it’s modern and it’s comfortable,” she said.

“It’s become a real cultural community hub.”

Cr Cohn said Albury’s previous museum had attracted about 9000 visitors a year while the Library Museum exhibitions now received nearly 64,000 people annually.

Highlights of the past decade included the inaugural Experimenta exhibition, the growth of the Write Around The Murray festival and the installation of the scaled replica model plane suspended from above.

“There’s so much to do here for members of our community,” the deputy mayor said.

“Whether it’s coming in to log onto the free Wi-Fi … attend meetings, participate in programs, look at exhibits, read the newspaper, research family history or even just to borrow a book.”

Students from Lavington East Public School sang Happy Birthday to Albury Library Museum as part of their choir item while a library decorated cake filled with Lego people was cut and distributed.

Ms Dobson said the facility continued to be well used by all ages.

“I never buy an e-book I always borrow the library’s, so that’s a fabulous service as far as I’m concerned,” she said.

“We always bring visitors here, from out of town or overseas, we say ‘Come and look at our library’.”

East Albury’s Carla McCooke and her son Moses, 2, visit Albury Library Museum every week for story time.

“I love the singing and the reading and the interaction with the other children,” Ms McCooke said.

She remembered how the new building’s structure caught people’s attention 10 years ago.

“It was such a landmark and such a different landmark,”  she said.

“It adds so much to the city, I believe.”