Glendale Central Library renovations hammer on
Outside the Glendale Central Library, tables and chairs have been set up so people can still work away on their laptops using the library’s Internet while hammers bang away inside.
It’s been six months since a $15-million library renovation project got underway, but those wanting to make use of free Wi-Fi or check out books can still do so during revised hours to accommodate the construction.
“The fact that we’ve been able to stay open during the whole thing was a huge benefit of the project,” said Jay Wollenhaupt, the library’s administrative manager.
The renovation is being carried out in phases with the first and largest — a remodel of the book stacks area in the back of the library — expected to be completed in early spring.
Upon entering, regular library patrons will likely notice immediately that the large glass clock that is usually more than 100 feet ahead has been removed for the time being while a new elevator shaft is built.
It’s a process that’s cheaper than redoing the existing elevators, and the clock will be hung on the front of the lift once is finished, Wollenhaupt said.
The first-floor book stacks have been displaced for the remodel, with some being stored at the former headquarters of the Glendale Police Department, he added. However, not all of them will be returning because the collection of more than 300,000 books is being whittled down.
“What we’ve done is focused the collection and sort of weeded the items that haven’t been checked out in years,” Wollenhaupt said.
The decommissioned titles range from too many extra copies of once-popular books to nonfiction selections with outdated information, he added.
Eight sheer walls are being installed in the book stacks area to give the entire building a retrofit for earthquake readiness, Wollenhaupt said.
Fewer book stacks means more room for seating and new furniture. In fact, just about the entire library will also be getting new furniture, Wollenhaupt said.
But what library patrons will likely notice the most is the addition of many new power outlets for plugging in laptops.
Glendale Central Library’s renovation is being carried out in phases with the first and largest — a remodel of the book stacks area in the back of the library — expected to be completed in early spring.
Wollenhaupt said there will be a “computer bar” set up in the book stacks area with enough spots for people to plug in. The one-person desks in the back of the book stacks will each get their own outlets, so visitors won’t have to drag their power chords to a nearby wall, he added.
That’s something frequent patron Rob Putnam said he’s glad to hear about as he sat and worked at one of the tables set up outside.
“Now, everywhere you go, you can tell they’re being renovated because they have an outlet every 6 inches,” said Putnam, an aspiring TV writer. “On the first floor, [the library] can definitely use some more [outlets].”
After the first phase is completion, five smaller phases will follow and include the creation of a remembrance room called “Man’s Inhumanity to Man.”
The auditorium will be redone with new audio-visual equipment.
The most immediately noticeable change will be construction of two new entrances to the library — one on Harvard Street and another on the south side of the building. The current front entrance off Louise Street will be closed off.
Another major change will be converting the second-floor administrative offices, which are being relocated to another part of the library, into a quiet reading space with seating and windows, Wollenhaupt said.
For the first time, library patrons will be able to open a book on the top floor while enjoying a view of Central Park.
“[The reading space] will have a great view of downtown,” Wollenhaupt said.
The library renovation project is expected to be completed by early next year.
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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com
Twitter: @ArinMikailian
