The Malibu Library Book Fair was held Saturday and Sunday. Most people are so used to having the sale during the summer and so confused about what is happening with the library, that they missed it. Due to the closing of the library for renovation on June 1, the sale had to be held early this year. The library will be closed for a year.
Due to the unexpected date and little publicity, people just did not know. So to end the confusion let me explain what is happening. The renovation plans have been in the works for the past four years when it was discovered that money already paid by Malibu taxpayers for the upkeep of the library had not been spent on the Malibu library, $5.2 million. That money was repaid by the county and the renovation plans began. As any of you who entered the library may have noticed, no new carpeting or wall coverings or lights have been purchased since the library opened in 1970. Did you know that before 1970 we had only a bookmobile?
So we will have a new look filled with natural light, a window wall that will open onto a garden where you can sit and read, a community room filled with pictures of Malibu history, a new foyer with a beautiful tile rug in the style of the Adamson House, new restrooms, a cute children’s area with a lighthouse, and new and better lit areas for everyone who uses the library. The courtyard will be available to sit and have coffee. We could not make the library bigger but we could make it much better.
No one will be paying new taxes because you already paid them. A flyer will be sent out to everyone who may want to help us pay for the final touches. You can name a shelf, a garden area, a room in honor of someone. We hope you come on May 16 to our open house from 2-4 p.m. at the library to take a tour and see our new plans.
Harriet Pollon
Fundraising Task Force