HAGA CLIC AQUÍ PARA ESPAÑOL
PRESS RELEASE
June 11, 2024 – The Sonoma County Library, Friends of the Petaluma Library, and the City of Petaluma are excited to announce that the Petaluma Regional Library is about to undergo a top-to-bottom modernization project, starting June 30, 2024, and lasting through summer 2025.
From carpet to ceiling, every aspect of the library’s interior will be modernized and improved. The project scope includes a new entryway, a new teen area, a reimagined children’s area, and new carpet, furniture, shelving and paint. Updated restrooms are in the plan as well as upgrades to heating and cooling systems and a fire suppression system.
During the yearlong remodel, library services will continue across the community. The main library building will close on June 30 and remain closed for a week while staff relocates and organizes the “Petaluma Mini Library” next door at the Kenilworth Teen Center, which will open on Monday, July 8, at 10 a.m.
The “Mini” will be open seven days a week and include a collection of books and other materials, plus holds pickup, public computers, and printers. The Summer Lunch at the Library program will take place at the Mini on the back patio. Additional library programming will take place elsewhere in the community, including at the fairgrounds next door, and the 24/7 online library is always open at sonomalibrary.org.
“The library is well-loved in our community, and it shows,” said Sonoma County Library Director Erika Thibault. “We are maintaining the open scale of the interior, while modernizing everything that the community sees and touches. We are excited to partner with the City of Petaluma to bring the community a fresh, modern library.”
“This investment in our community will improve the user experience at our library,” said Brian Cochran, Assistant City Manager, “but also the building’s overall safety and sustainability. With future planned improvements to Kenilworth Park next door, the Swim Center, and the Petaluma Fairgrounds, we look forward to celebrating a more welcoming family recreation hub at the heart of Petaluma in the years to come.”
First opened in 1976, the library is the second largest in the Sonoma County Library system and serves more than 4,000 patrons a week. The project has a price tag of $7.2 million. The library is investing $3.7 million from its sales tax funds, the Friends of the Petaluma Library has pledged $600,000, and the City of Petaluma, which owns the building, is investing $2.9 million, which includes a state grant received by the city to address critical infrastructure needs.
Visit sonomalibrary.org/librarymodernization for regular project updates.
Visit sonomalibrary.org/events to see the events calendar for Petaluma and elsewhere.