SYLMAR : Quake-Damaged Library Reopens

Northeast Valley bibliophiles take note: After minor repairs and a major book reshelving, the Los Angeles Public Library’s Sylmar Branch is once again open.

About 90% of the 50,000 books in the Sylmar Branch Library ended up on the floor after the Northridge temblor, but after weeks of work, the library at 13059 Glenoaks Blvd. has reopened. Books were put back on the shelves, and new books, including best-sellers, have been purchased to replace damaged volumes, said Bernice Sterne, Sylmar librarian.

“We suffered a fair amount of interior damage,” Sterne said. “We were knee-high in books. Shelves were pulled off the walls, and their contents were dumped on the floor. There was a certain loss of materials, from the weight of books piled upon books. It did a very thorough job, this earthquake.”

City workers repaired shelves, tying them to the library’s concrete floor so that they won’t fall over during future quakes, and volunteers helped put books back. Although the library’s furnace was knocked out, its air conditioning system was working again Tuesday, much to Sterne’s relief.

The library is open Monday and Wednesday, 12:30 to 8 p.m., Tuesday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Thursday and Friday, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Sterne is hoping that Valley residents whose local public libraries are still closed take advantage of the Sylmar branch.

The North Hollywood, Valley Plaza, Granada Hills, Chatsworth, Northridge, West Valley, Woodland Hills, Pacoima and Van Nuys branches of the Los Angeles Public Library are still closed, said Fontayne Holmes, assistant director of branches for the L.A. public library.

In addition to the Sylmar branch, the Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Encino-Tarzana, Canoga Park, Panorama City, Sun Valley and Sunland-Tujunga Bookmobile libraries are all open.

People with overdue books from the Sylmar branch are being encouraged to return them promptly. They will not be fined, Sterne said.

“We don’t care,” she said. “We’re delighted to see the books. They’re all old friends.”