Santa Maria celebrated the opening of its new Main Public Library on Saturday.
Residents and community leaders packed the plaza in front of the library early Saturday morning to hear keynote speaker Mayor Larry Lavagnino’s remarks, view the cornerstone dedication and the ribbon cutting, and to enter the new 60,000-square-foot state-of-the-art public library.
On Saturday alone, more than 10,300 people visited the library, and more than 3,500 books and other items were checked out. Additionally, more than 100 new patrons signed up for library cards to take advantage of the new opening day collection of material.
The beautiful two-story building is the largest civic project in the city’s history, and at nearly 60,000 square feet, is more than twice the size of the former building. Expanded book collections, more than 50 public computers, a children’s theater, a café, community meeting room, a career center and a new literacy center are among the building’s many features.
The library’s hours are: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The library will be closed on Sundays.
For more information about services, call the library at 805.925.0994.
Michelle Ladue represents the Santa Maria city manager’s office.