What's Happening at the Library in June

The Children's "Dig Into Reading" and Teen's "Beneath the Surface" Summer Reading Program begins registration on June 1st. We also have a very special Stuffed

Tuesday, June 4, 5- 7 p.m. Free iPhone Class - Basics and Advanced Functionality by Morro Bay Resident Aaron Anderson of Rock View Realty

This is another opportunity for this free hands-on workshop which is both an introduction to the iPhone and an advanced class on some of the less

The Morro Bay Friends of the Library, which supports the Library, holds regular book sales to raise funds for the library. Friends also provide volunteers to support library services and operations, publish a newsletter distributed four times a year and build and maintain awareness of library needs and services throughout the community. For more information contact Red Davis, the President through email or go to Morro Bay Friends of the Library.

For the comfort of all attending please come fragrance-free to all our programs.

Books (for the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Wednesdays program only) are available for checkout in advance at the Morro Bay Library. The Spring Series 2013 Booklist which includes the 4th Wednesdays Mystery Readers selections are available for download at Morro Bay Book Discussion Group or at the Library. For more information contact the Group Facilitator, Karen Robert at 225-3131 or via email.

Morro Bay Friends of the Library holds regular book sales to raise funds for the library. Friends also provide volunteers to support library services and operations, publish a quarterly newsletter and maintain awareness of library needs and services throughout the community. For more information contact Red Davis via email or go to Morro Bay Friends of the Library.

Special to SLO Coast Journal

Morro Bay Friends of Library Kick Off Major Remodeling Campaign

By Robert "Red" Davis

Morro Bay Friends of the Library are kicking off a campaign to raise funds for the upgrading and remodeling of the city's library building.

A crowd of nearly 500 attended a community open house on April 14 at the library, where project architect Shana Reiss answered questions as she unveiled floor plans and computer renderings of the new library interior. Those plans are now on display in the lobby of the Morro Bay Library, at the corner of Harbor Street and Shasta Avenue.

The project began taking shape last year when the Friends of the Library met with city and county officials and received approval to move forward. The plan will unify the interior space within the footprint of the existing building to create a welcoming, open, flexible and technologically current library that reflects our community.

County Library Director Brian Reynolds chose two county library employees to be on remodel committee. Melody Mullis and Jackie Kinsey, branch manager of the Morro Bay Library, helped choose the architect, and they will continue to provide input and share their knowledge and expertise.
The proposed floor plan creates a new, expanded children's area and quiet reading space, as well as opening up and unifying the interior. This will provide about 30% more useable space without requiring additional staff.

The remodel is not a facelift; it is an extensive rehabilitation of the entire facility. The building is almost 30 years old, and all mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems need upgrading to bring the library into compliance with current regulations. The project also will ensure that the library is ready for the future and able to support new technology.

Reiss, the architect,  is a Cal Poly graduate based in Paso Robles. She is accredited by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and has extensive experience with green design principles and the creation of environmentally friendly spaces. Brummel Mechanical Engineering and Heather Gray from GECE consulted on the updated mechanical and electrical systems that will be incorporated in the new design.
Cost of the project is estimated at $500,000, and available funds are already well past the halfway mark. The Friends of the Library have preserved and grown all donations from past fundraising campaigns and now have more than $300,000 in the bank ready to put toward this remodel.

During past campaigns to improve the library, lease restrictions then in effect made it impossible to use the entire interior space for library services, materials and programs. That is no longer the case.

The County has agreed to pay for necessary ADA upgrades and the main Information Desk.  All other additional funding will come from the community and is being raised by the Friends.

The Morro Bay Library is the only branch in the San Luis Obispo County library system built by the community. The Friends of the Library can proudly say that all members of their board of directors have contributed to the remodel fund as they reach out and ask members of the community to do the same.

To be part of making the Morro Bay Library the upgraded facility the community needs and wants, visit the library to see the plans or go to Morro Bay Friends of the Library to make a donation.

Pipevine Swallowtail Image on Banner by Jerry Kirkhart