Move Marks New Chapter in Oxnard Library’s History

Back in 1963, when Oxnard was a growing agricultural center of 60,000, Delores Bensor was loading crates of books from the old Oxnard library into moving trucks.

“We had some inmates from the old City Jail help us. But by law, they could only carry 25 pounds. That’s not a lot of books, so we librarians ended up doing most of the work,” said Bensor, the city librarians’ elder stateswoman, who is preparing for another move.

Only this time, a professional moving firm has been hired to do the job.

Oxnard’s population has nearly tripled in the last 29 years, and the library’s book collection has more than doubled. So today, the overused, overstocked Oxnard Public Library on C Street will close its doors.

Librarians and patrons said Friday that the old library contains fond memories, but they can hardly wait to move to their new building across the parking lot. The new library is scheduled to open March 7.

“The most common words around here were excuse me because we kept running into each other,” reference supervisor Doug McLaughlin said.

The library is so cramped that on rainy days, it’s hard to find a seat. New books sit in crates for weeks for lack of space. Thousands of volumes are in storage, waiting for display room. Access to the library’s computer terminals usually takes several minutes.

The new $14-million library, at 72,000 square feet, is four times as big as the one it replaces. The two-story building, which has survived several rounds of city budget cuts, has marble counters, outdoor patios, glass walls, study rooms, elevators and bilingual signs. It has twice the number of computer terminals and checkout counters, and even a bookstore and party room for children.

“I’ve been looking forward to this move for four years,” library director Gail Warner said. “I’m beyond thrilled.”

But for nearly three decades, librarians and patrons said, the plain, red-brick building on C Street played an important role in many residents’ lives.

“I remember giving a library card to a 6-year-old girl who is now an assistant U. S. treasurer,” Bensor said.

In May and June each year, students filled the library, cramming for final exams. On rainy days, homeless people came in carrying sleeping bags and stayed until shelters opened.

Farm workers came in to learn English, starting out with Archie comics and later moving on to books. Senior citizens visited to escape loneliness.

Through the years, many changes have taken place. In 1972, a 4,400-square-foot addition was built, increasing the total square footage to 18,000 and library’s capacity from 70,000 to 100,000 volumes. In 1989, a computer system was added. A year later, a video library opened.

The one constant, Bensor said, is the excuses people come up with for late book returns.

“They always say they put it in the book drop,” she said. A man came in last week to discuss an overdue book, she said. “He told me he put it in the book drop two years ago.”

The best excuses, she said, came from a woman who checked out a book to improve memory and didn’t return it because “she forgot” and a man who checked out a dog-training book and never returned it “because the dog tore it apart.”

For all the memories, Bensor has no misgivings about starting anew in the building across the parking lot.

“When I started 30 years ago, I just wanted to make my car payments and go back to being a housewife. Now, I can’t imagine not working in a library. There’s so much to do. So many ways to change people’s lives.”