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Library to close Saturday

 

The Sonoma Valley Regional Library will be closing at 6 p.m. Saturday for about a month while the staff relocates to temporary quarters at Burlingame Hall.

The library will be undergoing a year-long $2.3 million upgrade that includes energy efficiencies and modifications to comply with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements for the 30-year-old facility.

While construction is going on, the library is moving about six blocks to Burlingame Hall at the First Congregational Church, 252 W. Spain St. But the temporary quarters probably won't be open until sometime mid-August.

Books, CDs and DVDs that people check out by Saturday won't be due until the temporary library opens. Patrons who have books due in the interim can deposit them in a book drop at the library until July 29, and then at Burlingame Hall on July 30.

"We're shooting to open around Aug. 23," said Mary Evelyn Arnold, the 1st District representative to the Sonoma County Library board. "We could open a few days sooner or a few days later."

Because the temporary space isn't as big as the space the library currently occupies, not all of the books will moved to Burlingame Hall. Only about 2,500 of the library's 10,000-plus volumes will make the move.

All of the children's books, DVDs and CDs will be moved as well as a number of large-print and Spanish language books, but only about a quarter of the rest of the collection will be relocated. The library also won't have as many computer terminals.

Arnold said the books that don't make the move will be stored at Los Guilicos and will be brought back when the construction is finished sometime next summer.

"We're trying to make this as seamless as possible," Arnold said.

The staff will be packing books and other equipment for the move in the interim.

"The staff is so positive ... so willing to work with the uncertainties under stress," she said. "They're going a great job. We have a great staff."

Next summer, the library will be closed for a like amount of time in order to be moved back to the West Napa Street building.

The total cost for the one year move to Burlingame Hall is expected to be almost $420,000, including $119,000 in improvements to Burlingame Hall, almost $113,000 in rent payments, nearly $72,000 for professional services such as architect fees, $46,000 in moving and storage costs and $33,000 for furniture, fixtures and equipment.

As a result of the move, there won't be any more book sales by the Friends of the Library until the library moves back into its remodeled facility sometime in the summer of 2012. And the friends won't even be able to accept any new donated books after July 15.