On Saturday, July 16^th we had the grand re-opening celebration for the Fairview Branch Library.  About 450 people came to this library throughout the day for a welcome ceremony with speeches by Mayor Tony Vazquez, City Manager Rick Cole, and Branch Manager Ashley Kagan, Hawaiian dancing lessons and performances, fantastic How-To Festival workshops on finance, STEAM, and essential oils and aromatherapy, refreshments, and tours given by staff on the library’s interior improvements.  The improvements to the interior of the building include: new carpeting and paint throughout the library, an installation of central air conditioning, improved interior lighting, new shelving for adult books and media collections, a new configuration for the adult computers, additional book displays, a more efficient front service desk, more self-checkout stations, and improved access to the handicapped restrooms adjacent to the Community Room.

Fairview Branch Library’s renovation and grand re-opening are in-line with Santa Monica Public Library’s Strategic Goal to “Build on the Library’s role as a Dynamic Third Place through improvements, development, and maintenance of Library facilities and equipment.”  Since the community celebration we have seen an increase in library visits and use and are continuing to spread the word that this cherished historic library is now open and better than ever.  Fairview is well-positioned to be a place where the local community can come to, be at, and rely on.  With the Fairview Branch Library re-opening, it can take part in the Strategic Goal to “Expand the Library’s role as a Vibrant Learning Center by building on its educational and literacy initiatives.”  This goal is being achieved through its storytimes for young learners in both English and Spanish, literacy instruction opportunities for adults, computer science workshops for teens using Raspberry Pi technology, and of course, the How-To Festival workshops on July 16^th.  The community response to these efforts so far has been very positive and warm.

So we encourage you to stop by, stay awhile, and welcome Fairview back into the neighborhood!