Library Needs Major Upgrade, Report Says

The Orange Central Library will get a $1-million make-over this winter and may eventually move to a larger building if city officials accept all the recommendations of a consultant’s report.

City Council members this week approved the outlay for the renovation, set to begin in January. The building, while heavily used, is outdated and badly arranged, said Nick Conway, a consultant with Pasadena-based Arroyo Associates Inc.

Arroyo Associates was hired to draft a strategic plan for the library through 2004, said Gary Wann, director of library services. “They were commissioned to ask the tough questions and recommend tough solutions,” he said.

One of the solutions includes closing the Taft and El Modena branches and pooling resources in a new, larger main building, although that would not happen until the renovation is complete, officials said.

“We are not meeting the needs of the community,” the report concluded.

Consultants said the facility is inefficient, noisy and the books are outdated.

Interviews with city officials, library employees and community focus groups revealed that although the library is used frequently, most residents want to see expanded hours and a higher-quality book collection, Conway said.

The consultants urged officials to immediately hire a full-time library director, increase funds for new technology, and start a foundation to raise money for a new building of 75,000 to 100,000 square feet.

The Orange Central Library, built in 1961, was intended to serve a community of about 27,000 people, the report said. The city now has about 120,000 residents.