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Commerce Library Upgrade Will Have ‘Bookstore’ Feel

Central Library will offer more than books, says library director.

By Elizabeth Hsing-Huei Chou, EGP Staff Writer


The Commerce community finally caught a glimpse of renderings and plans for the renovation of the city’s Central Library, about three years after the project was first proposed in 2006.

Architects unveiled ideas for the Commerce Central Library renovation project in late July that included a bookstore-inspired entrance, an outdoor reading garden, and separate areas dedicated to children and teen patrons.

The plans by architect Adrian Gauss Architects give the community an early look at what the renovated library may look like in 2011 when the $6.6 million project is expected to be completed. Funds allocated for the renovation will also benefit the attached City Hall building with about $1 million going toward improvements to the roof and the entire building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.

A “marketplace” style entrance is meant to lend a bookstore-like atmosphere to the library. Comfortable chairs, magazine racks, and new book and media displays will greet patrons upon entering.

“When you come to the library, and you’re just interested in browsing, we’re going to have new DVDs, books. That way, if you are not here for anything, you just want to look around, that’s the area you’ll go to,” says Library Director Evelyn Fullmore.

There will also be a “cafe” area where patrons can purchase snacks. “Children after school sometimes are waiting for their parents. Some of them are also hungry. Having a little cafe will also help them. Grab something to eat and come back and read,” she says.

Fullmore says the library is a place for residents in Commerce to gather, not just for books but also as a source of entertainment. “Libraries nowadays, they’re not just a building full of books. It’s a community center,” she says.

Most sections of the central library will be shifted around, with the most prominent change being the children’s area that will have its own space where the literacy center offices are currently located. The area will include a family restroom, and give younger patrons a place to roam without disrupting quieter adult activity.

Teens will have their own area that is smaller, but closer to the adult area.

The Commerce library system, with its three other branches sprinkled throughout the city, has the highest visitor rate per capita of any California library system, according to the latest rankings compiled by the state library in 2007 and 2008. Its programs are also the second most well-attended in the state for the population it serves.

The renovation also includes some energy efficiency features such as lighting that brightens or dims depending on availability of natural light, and the use of recycled materials in the building.

A panel of windows currently hidden by the central library building’s low ceilings will be put to use in bringing in more natural lighting.

Input from focus group studies conducted two years ago was used to develop the latest plans, Fullmore said. Architects also plan to use audience feedback from the recent presentation in the final plans due this fall.

One suggestion calls for adding more study rooms where people can hold meetings or confer without bothering others. There are currently two of these rooms in the plans.

The library posted the plans on its website: http://www.cocpl.org. Library staff can also be reached by phone at (323) 722-6660. The new floor plan is also on display at the central library.

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August 13, 2009  Copyright © 2010 Eastern Group Publications, Inc.

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