The main library on Sixth Street will close its doors in December for two years while a new one is being built.
A temporary location at 1324 Fifth Street will open in January. While the library relocates, service will be available at the branch libraries, on the internet and by e-mail. The online catalog and a host of databases also will be available from home, work or school.
About one-third the size of the existing facility, the temporary site will house new library materials and selections from these collections: nonfiction, fiction and genre, paperbacks, current newspapers and magazines, videos, DVDs, CDs, audio books, language learning materials, and reference materials (including microfilm of the Evening Outlook and other California resources), and young adult materials.
The main library children’s collection will be largely relocated to the Ocean Park Branch, which will temporarily extend its hours to include Friday from noon to 5:30 p.m. Large print book collections will be expanded at the Montana Avenue Branch Library and will be made available at the Ken Edwards Center and the Senior Center. The rest of the library’s collections, including bound magazines, international language books, and government documents, will be stored off site and will not be available until the new library is completed in 2005.
The temporary library hours will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday; and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Parking will be available at the nearby structure. For up-to-date information, check www.smpl.org/construction <http://www.smpl.org/construction>.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 15, 2002. Read the original PDF.