Library to Reopen With ‘Major Changes’

Fresh from a recent $300,000 “face lift” that included new paint and carpeting, the Van Nuys branch library will reopen today, with the library staff promising that residents will not recognize the new place.

“There are some major changes here,” head librarian Lupe Canales said. “It looks a lot nicer.”

The branch closed in March for renovations. In addition to the cosmetic work, the library also was equipped with a new air-conditioning system, a modernized electronic database, a new community meeting room and better access for the handicapped.

“It has a fresh, open look,” Canales said of the revamped building.

The facility opened in 1964 as part of a 1957 bond issue that provided 15 libraries in the San Fernando Valley. It was the last to be renovated using funds provided by Proposition I, the 1989 bond issue for branch libraries.

It was also the last to be automated, and until recently relied solely on card catalogs.

“All we could access for the patron was what is physically held in our building,” Canales said.

The new database will give visitors access to other libraries and the ability to search through indexes and articles from hundreds of magazines and newspapers. It also will provide Internet access, including access to the Los Angeles Public Library’s World Wide Web home page, which has information about all library hours and services.

Canales said renovations to the library are not fully completed. “We’re still moving and adjusting things, but we need to get ourselves open,” she said.

An opening ceremony for the refurbished library will take place at 11 a.m. at the branch at 6250 Sylmar Avenue Mall. A Van Nuys Middle School student will read a poem he wrote for the library.

Also attending the ceremony will be Los Angeles City Councilman Marvin Braude, radio personality Tom Hatten of KNX-AM (1070) and library officials.