Residents are being forced to come to terms with the fact that they will lose their Goleta Valley Library for two years. 

One wish is clear: They want some sort of temporary location that still allows them to browse through books and check them out in person.

Earlier this month the Goleta City Council discussed upcoming construction plans for the library and where to temporarily house services.  Construction is expected to begin in June 2025, but the library will likely close by April to allow for materials and equipment to be relocated.

The council was given three options: 1) house services in the recently reopened Goleta Valley Community Center, 2) purchase portables for the community center parking lot to house services, or 3) find a building to lease and turn into a library during construction. 

The council expressed concern over the lack of air conditioning in the community center and over how much money portables and leasing a new space would cost the city. 

Residents have mixed feelings around the project. 

“I mean, I’m excited that they’re going to make some upgrades, but we’re really bummed,” said Nicole Hersh. “It’s sad in a way, but it’s also good — it’s kind of bittersweet.”

Hersh and her young son go to the library every two weeks and fill up a red tote bag full of picture books. Hersh said she wants to have a location where she and her son can still go inside, browse through the stacks of books and pick out what they want, instead of having to select everything online. 

“There’s something about going in and browsing,” Hersh said. “Wherever they have it, we’ll go as long as they have a temporary site.” 

While she’s worried about the parking in Old Town, Hersh said she would go to the community center if that’s what the city decides to do. 

The project is currently nearing the end of the design phase and is focusing on enhancing accessibility throughout the facility, according to Kelly Hoover, community relations manager for the city of Goleta. 

The main improvements will be accessible routes in and around the facility, fully renovated accessible public restrooms, and redesigned entrances including automatic sliding doors.

“Construction will impact the entire facility, allowing for necessary structural alterations, such as widening doorways, to provide accessible paths of travel to all areas of the facility,” Hoover said. 

Other improvements include replacing the HVAC system, installing a new fire suppression system, installing new energy efficient lighting, replacing doors, windows and hardware, and repairing weather and termite damage. 

The city received a $4.2 million grant from the California State Library to make the accessibility improvements. A stipulation of the grant is that construction has to be completed by June 2027. 

Construction will include moving load-bearing walls, hazardous materials abatement, and prolonged utility shut-offs. Hoover said given this, and the grant deadline, staff determined that the library had to close during construction. 

“The project team evaluated options to phase the work to avoid full closure, but due to the invasive nature of the work and tight timeline, this eliminated this approach from further consideration,” Hoover said.

The closure gives staff time to move materials to a temporary location, construction, and accommodate any unknown issues that may arise due to the building being 50 years old. 

David Roe goes to the library every couple of weeks, usually to check out a couple of fiction books. This time he checked out a Richard Nixon biography to take a break from fiction. He’s not thrilled to hear that the library will be closed for so long. 

“I’m not happy about it,” Roe said. “I was thinking that I may have to get a Santa Barbara downtown library card.”

Roe said he’d be willing to go to the community center if that were chosen as the temporary space but is worried that he won’t have as many books to choose from and browse. 

Katie Buehner goes to the library with her kids about once a week. She’s glad to see the building getting some improvements but is worried about the idea of having to go to Old Town during construction. 

“I’d like to see it on this side of the 101, because Old Town’s kind of crazy on the other side,” Buehner said. “I think as long as they’re willing to relocate it while they’re doing upgrades to this place, that would be fine. This is obviously an older building, and it needs some work.”

Buehner said she’s excited for better lighting and bathrooms and also hopes to see a bigger children’s area in the library. 

“I’d like to see it a little bit better, more lighting, a bigger kids area; I think a more fun kids area would be nice,” Buehner said. 

The Goleta City Council is expected to continue the discussion on temporary library locations at the Nov. 19 council meeting. The public can make comments by attending the meeting in person at Goleta City Hall, on Zoom or send in a written comment to cityclerkgroup@cityofgoleta.org.