MOORPARK : Library Advocates Turn Up the Volume

The tiny Moorpark Library fills up in the afternoon.

“After school, every table is filled, with children sitting on the floor,” Librarian Mary Crockford said.

During the summer, a reading program for youngsters brought in 485 children.

“We like to have the programs here,” Crockford said, “except it takes up the whole library. One event had 175 children plus parents.”

A consultant hired last year by Ventura County Library Services recommended that the library be quadrupled in size.

Since 1980 the population of Moorpark has grown from 4,000 to about 26,000 residents, and a bigger library is needed, a report done by Raymond Holt & Associates of Del Mar said.

The 5,000-square-foot building serves all segments of the community and lends 5,000 to 6,000 books a month, Crockford said.

The consultant concluded that Moorpark needs a library of about 20,000 square feet with three acres to expand even more. The report also recommends the expansion of the book collection and a greater range of library services with emphasis on children.

Originally the library was in a small store on the city’s main street. In 1981, a 2,500-square-foot library was built close to the Moorpark Community Center.

By 1985, the size was doubled with funding from a government grant, and the library’s collection reached 25,000 books.

“We don’t have enough resources for the size of our community,” Crockford said. “People have to use the Thousand Oaks library instead of our library for technical research. But I feel we are still able to do a lot.”

Building a new library would cost an estimated $3 million, not including the site, she said. “There is not enough room on this site. The consultant does not feel this building would be easy to enlarge.”

Crockford hopes that there may be a land swap with the city of Moorpark, with the city taking the current library building and the library getting a piece of downtown property. City and county officials have discussed the possibility, she said, but talks are in a preliminary stage.

The Moorpark Friends of the Library has raised $2,500 toward a new building through cookbook sales and a booth at Moorpark’s annual County Days festivities.

“The more we earn, the more we will let people know we are serious about trying to raise money for a future library,” said Martha Lepine, spokeswoman for the organization.

The group is planning a murder-mystery night called “Murder in the Library” next spring.