10 Jan Main Library Renovations to Begin Next Year

Richmond Main Library employees Christopher Larsen and Kate Eppler. (Shreya Jaikumar Menon / Richmond Confidential)

By Samantha Kennedy

The Richmond Main Library will undergo renovations to make it more accessible and inclusive thanks to recent local and state funding.

The California State Library initially awarded the library $9.7 million in October 2022 for its Building Forward project to improve the safety and accessibility of the library. Richmond was required to match half of that funding, doing so mostly with American Rescue Plan Act funds that same month.

The funds will be used to address infrastructure problems staff and patrons have dealt with over the years. Some of those concerns addressed in the project are installing an automatic fire sprinkler and modern fire alarm, improving the library’s ability to withstand earthquakes and completely renovating bathrooms to improve accessibility.

The city allocated another $15 million in May 2023 to further meet the needs of patrons. Much of what that part of the renovation will include is first in the hands of community members.

Some of that community input has already been heard in previous community meetings and focus groups, the latter of which have included teens, people with disabilities and Spanish speakers, according to Library Director Kate Eppler.

Library Services Manager Christopher Larsen said meeting the needs of some patrons, including teens, has been difficult due to lack of space and varying uses of the library. Spaces meant for teens, for example, have not been able to accommodate their wants and are sometimes seen as another adult space.

“It’s really looking at ways that various different people can be accommodated in the spaces that we have to improve upon what we’re currently able to do,” Larsen said, “so people really do feel welcome and like there’s an area that’s for them.”

Accommodating patrons also means improving accessibility. The library has bathrooms in the children’s room and community room that don’t meet accessibility standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Larsen says the bathrooms have been a “long-standing sore point.” There have even been issues in bathrooms that have been upgraded because of their size.

Construction is expected to begin in 2025 and services normally offered at the main library will be offered at a temporary location. That location has yet to be disclosed. Eppler said that in addition to the temporary location, the library is looking into other ways to offer services during that time.

Until then, the library will remain open, Eppler said.

“Wonderful things happen in the library every day,” she said. “Even a library that needs a renovation is still a library.”

An online survey is available in English and Spanish for those who want to provide input on the renovation. Certain participants may be asked to be a part of a discussion group.

Community members are invited to attend the next community meeting to review draft plans for the renovations and offer feedback. The meeting will take place on Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. in the community room of the Richmond Main Library.