The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Library renovation plans under way

Revamp, asbestos cleanup will cause library to be closed over the summer

By Justin Berton

The Sunnyvale City Council closed the first chapter of the $2.2 million renovation of the main library at its meeting March 17 by approving a contractor for the project.

The library, used by an average of 2,000 people per day, will shut its doors from July 3 to Sept. 7 as workers tear up carpets for asbestos abatement, install 60 new personal computers and add more chairs and new tables.

Initially, renovation was due to last six months, allowing the library to remain partially open.

But as refurbishing plans grew and inspections revealed more asbestos beneath the carpet than was initially presumed, city staff recommended the building's closure.

"Removing the carpet in the larger area was one factor in the decision to close the library," community relations officer David Vossbrink said.

During the renovation, new electrical and Internet wiring will be installed.

"By closing for two months we can get the job done, then be open for business by September," Vossbrink said.

Administrative librarian Susan Denniston said the familiar summer reading programs for children won't be abandoned, just modified.

"Different things we usually do inside the building, we'll do outside in the parks," she said.

Denniston said the library will work with parks and recreation services to arrange outdoor story-time meetings.

Victoria Johnson, director of libraries, said the 9 1/2-week renovation won't prohibit the public from getting books.

A bookmobile will be parked outside the library to provide a rotating selection of several thousand titles.

Another new bookmobile, which the library will receive this month, will also have extended routes to neighborhoods and community meeting centers.

Johnson said patrons of the library will be able to borrow titles for the length of the summer closing.

"We're expecting to be open for business before the first school assignments are due," Johnson said.

According to Denniston, the library is closing during the summer because it is the slowest time of year.

Last year 1.4 million articles including books, videotapes and audiotapes were checked out from the library--most of which were borrowed during the school year, late September through early June.

When the library reopens, some of the floor plan will be a bit different. The nonfiction area will be moved into one wing of the facility rather than occupying two wings, as it does now. Also, a more efficient sign system will direct patrons to their destination.

"We want to take the mystery away. So many people walk in here and don't know where to go or what they're doing," Johnson said, adding, "That will help library users be as self-sufficient as they want to be."

Once library users return, they'll also be free from walking above the asbestos wedged in the adhesive used to lay the floor tiles beneath the carpet.

According to a city report, the renovation project began five years ago in 1993 after a "needs study" on library space reported increasing levels of patronage.

Besides requesting refurbishing and new work areas, the study also found a 1,000-square-foot area of asbestos beneath the carpet.

In 1995 the project called for the contractor's work to be conducted in phases over the course of six months to keep the library open.

But as the process continued, asbestos was discovered in almost every room on the library's main floor, covering approximately 11,000 square feet--or 10 times what had been discovered two years earlier.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, March 25, 1998.
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