Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the Grand Opening of the new Harbory City-Harbor Gateway Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library. It was exciting to see several hundred community members of all ages gathered for the event - the sense of anticipation and pride was palpable.
This community has been asking for a library for over 50 years! For nearly 50 years the community was served by a bookmobile, before a small storefront library not much bigger than our Annex was opened in 1997.
The funding source for the library is very interesting. Over the past 10 or so years the City of Los Angeles Public Library has constructed 32 new libraries using funds from a local bond measure. ALL of these libraries were constructed on time and under budget! The Harbor City library was not one of those projects, but the budget surpluses were carefull saved and were used to provide the City's match for State Bond funds from the 2000 Library Construction and Renovation Bond Act. The Harbor City library qualified for funding as a "joint use" project because of an innovative partnership with Narbonne High School whereby the school will provide faculty to oversee an after school homework center at the library.
The new library is still relatively small - 14,650 square feet, or about twice the size of the Miraleste Library. Its efficient design packs in a large multipurpose room, a story time room and children's area, two group study rooms, a teen section, and a computer lab. The library will house 60,000 volumes and approximately 50 Internet accessible computers.
These figures are impressive - but for me the most rewarding thing was see how hungry people were for library services, and to hear speakers such as LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Councilwoman Janice Hahn speak about the importance of libraries in communities. Mayor Villaraigosa particularly emphasized the need for the Latino members of the audience to make sure they and their children are literate in English and the role the library can play in this important endeavor.
In a community like Palos Verdes it can be easy to take libraries for granted. Yesterday in Harbor City I was reminded that in communities struggling with poverty, illiteracy, and violence the public library is a beacon of hope.
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