Reading a Lot Into a Birthday : Santa Ana Library Marks 100 Years With Remodeled Branch's Opening

By GEBE MARTINEZ

Sept. 25, 1991 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

SANTA ANA —

It wasn’t much of a library 100 years ago, when the city took over the 960-volume book collection held by a private women’s organization.

Along with the books shelved in a leased hall on West 4th Street, the city took possession of some shelves, two large tables, six lamps, a clock, a hatrack, 24 armchairs and 34 chairs with perforated bottoms.

Settling into their then-new quarters, the librarians had another goal: to suppress materials that could adversely influence the moral climate of the Santa Ana community.

Now, several buildings later and boasting new furniture and a book collection many times the size of the original, the Santa Ana Public Library system begins its second century with a renovated main library building and a systemwide focus on getting today’s students turned on to books.

The library’s programs and revamped main facility--opened in 1960 at the corner of Civic Center Drive and Ross Street--will go on display today as the city throws a 100th birthday party.

In preparation for the ribbon cutting, speeches and open house scheduled to begin today at 5 p.m., workers Tuesday hurriedly applied finishing touches to the main building that completes a $1.4-million renovation. A gardener tended to plants outside the new children’s room, and staff members stacked books on new metal shelves being assembled by contractors.

The face lift for the 31-year-old building was funded primarily through federal Community Development Block Grant money, along with some state and city money.

Gone are the dreary drapes that once hung across the tall glass windows facing Civic Center Drive. And along with more natural light, the city doubled the number of lights in the ceiling, making books easier to read during evening hours.

“There were some spots,” Library Director Robert Richard said, “where staff and patrons had to go into the stacks with miners’ caps, almost, after dark.”

Internal walls have come tumbling down, and book stacks have been reorganized, creating 35% more usable space. The back tunnel-like entrance has been replaced with a new main entrance for Civic Center patrons who make up most of the clientele during office hours.

Among those checking out books Tuesday was Irvine resident Ralph Mauceth, 72, who prefers this library to the one near his neighborhood.

And with the improvements, “it looks more modern and cleaner,” he said.

“It looks like the books are easier to find,” added patron Serafin de Leon, 22.

One of the most impressive improvements, Richard said, is in the children’s room, which is now three times larger. The reddish-brown, cream-colored, checkered vinyl floor has been covered with carpeting. And an “enchanted forest” mural decorates pillars and a wall surrounding a castle-like door that leads into the children’s story-time theater.

The 7-foot-high shelves that were unreachable for youngsters have been replaced by shorter stacks.

“The books on the top shelf may as well have been on the moon,” Richard said.

Library officials hope to make the books more accessible to children and the general public, but they are especially focused on bringing in high school students, he said.

In addition to a tutoring program at the Newhope Street branch, library staff members are working more closely with the Santa Ana Unified School District, hoping to gear reading clubs toward the interests of young adults, Richard said.

A campaign begun last week at Century High School to get every student a library card is meeting with early success. Of 12 classes visited so far, he said, 360 students have signed up--a near-100% return.

“Even though we are not a formal education resource,” he said, “we can play a real important role in improving the quality of education and the quality of life in Santa Ana for these kids.”

In some cases, he said, students use the library only as a place to study, not realizing the depth of available research materials.

“A lot of times, kids don’t have a good environment at home to study,” Richard said. “They don’t have a room of their own, there’s just too many people, their working space is probably the dining table. We like to let those kids know what kind of resources they are surrounded by when they come into the library.”

The lack of appreciation for the facilities--including the main library and the branches on Newhope Street and McFadden Avenue--is not limited to students, Richard said.

“I think we have countywide a well-deserved reputation for being a well-resourced library,” the director said. “The unfortunate thing is that a lot of our residents don’t realize that.”

As the library heads into a second century of service, Richard said, another goal will be to continue efforts to increase the volume of books. Although spending on book purchases has increased dramatically in recent years, the library is still short of its goal of two books for every Santa Ana citizen.

The library now has 418,000 books in stock systemwide--208,000 at the main branch--averaging 1.425 books per capita, he said.