GLENDALE, CA— On Friday, November 4, 2022, at 3PM, the City of Glendale will hold an event to thank Assemblymember Laura Friedman for securing over $6 million in funding through AB 179, the State Budget Act of 2022, for Glendale Central Library’s capital outlay and maintenance.

 The 92,600 square foot Central Library is an iconic example of Brutalist architecture designed by Welton Becket and Associates, which first opened in 1973. A renovation in 2017 created a vibrant public space and addressed critical safety and system upgrades but lacked the funding to remodel spaces for youth. The City of Glendale has worked with architects Johnson Favaro, LLC, to plan and design a remodel of the Children’s Room, create a dedicated Teen Space, and add second-floor ADA-accessible restrooms. Additional updates will be made to improve the efficiency of building systems, repair the roof, and, in partnership with Glendale Water & Power, install a 400-kilowatt-hour solar panel system.

The City of Glendale is fortunate to have identified several significant funding sources to accomplish this work. Assemblymember Friedman worked to allocate $6.095 million to the State Budget, which will be administered by the California State Library (CSL).  The City of Glendale will also receive $5.7 million from CSL’s Building Forward grant fund and $2.5 million in local funding from Measure S.

Building Forward is the single largest investment in California’s public libraries in over 20 years. The Budget Act of 2021 allocated $439 million in one-time funds to the California State Library to address life-safety and critical maintenance needs of public library facilities throughout California, prioritized for high-poverty areas of the state. In the first round of funding, California State Library received 275 applications from 86 jurisdictions, and requests totaled $1.1 billion, far in excess of available resources.

WHEN:                                  Friday, November 4, 2022, at 3PM

WHERE:                                Glendale Central Library Children’s Room

WHO:                                    Assemblymember Laura Friedman, Glendale Mayor Ardy Kassakhian, Jane Viar, President, Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Trust, Dr. Gary Shaffer, Director of Glendale Library, Arts & Culture

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About Glendale

Known as the “Jewel City,” Glendale is the fourth largest city of Los Angeles County. With a population of more than 200,000, Glendale is a thriving cosmopolitan city that is rich in history, culturally diverse, and offers nearly 50 public parks, and easy access to a municipal airport. It is the home to a vibrant business community, with major companies in healthcare, entertainment, manufacturing, retail, and banking.

About Library, Arts & Culture

Founded in 1907, the Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department includes eight neighborhood libraries including the Brand Library & Art Center, a regional visual arts and music library and performance venue housed in the historic 1904 mansion of Glendale pioneer Leslie C. Brand, and the Central Library, a 93,000 square foot center for individuals and groups to convene, collaborate and create. The department also serves as the chief liaison to the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission which works to continually transform Glendale into an ever-evolving arts destination. Glendale Library Arts & Culture is supported in part through the efforts of the Glendale Library Arts & Culture Trust (GLACT). For more information visit GlendaleLAC.org, or contact Library, Arts & Culture at 818-548-2021 or via email at LibraryInfo@glendaleca.gov.

Media Contact:

Maryl Fleisher, Marketing Manager

Glendale Library, Arts & Culture

222 East Harvard Street, Glendale CA 91205

(818) 937-7806 / mfleisher@glendaleca.gov

@myglendaleLAC #myglendaleLAC www.GlendaleLAC.org

Overview

The 92,600 square foot Central Library is an iconic example of Brutalist architecture designed by Welton Becket and Associates, which first opened in 1973. A renovation in 2017 created a vibrant public space and addressed critical safety and system upgrades but lacked the funding to remodel spaces for youth. The City of Glendale has worked with architects Johnson Favaro, LLC, to plan and design a remodel of the Children’s Room, create a dedicated Teen Space, and add second-floor ADA-accessible restrooms. Additional updates will be made to improve the efficiency of building systems, repair the roof, and, in partnership with Glendale Water & Power, install a 400-kilowatt-hour solar panel system.

The City of Glendale is fortunate to have identified several significant funding sources to accomplish this work. Assemblymember Friedman worked to allocate $6.095 million to the State Budget, which will be administered by the California State Library (CSL). The City of Glendale will also receive $5.7 million from CSL’s Building Forward grant fund and $2.5 million in local funding from Measure S.

Building Forward is the single largest investment in California’s public libraries in over 20 years. The Budget Act of 2021 allocated $439 million in one-time funds to the California State Library to address life-safety and critical maintenance needs of public library facilities throughout California, prioritized for high-poverty areas of the state. In the first round of funding, California State Library received 275 applications from 86 jurisdictions, and requests totaled $1.1 billion, far in excess of available resources.

Project Details

The Children’s Room

• Move the entryway to a more visible location and extend the interior window overlooking the Central Library’s main atrium to increase visual interest and natural lighting.

• Incorporate playful interior design elements to create a space that invites children, parents and caregivers to stay, play, read and connect.

• Replace the existing storytime area with a larger, flexible programming space that can be used by the public when not programmed.

• Decrease the footprint of the service desk to be more customer friendly.

• Remove existing tech room and improve access to power and data for personal and library devices.

• Create developmentally appropriate and engaging areas for preschoolers and tweens.

• Add a lactation room.

• Update security system and add an Assistive Listening System.

• Combine storage areas to accommodate flexible use of the space and improve staff area.

• Create two ADA-accessible family restrooms.

Teen Space

• Transform the second floor “Reading Spa” area into a new dedicated teen space that is acoustically designed to accommodate active use of the space for programming as well as studying and socializing.

• Turn the existing adjacent SoundSpace into storage that enables the flexible use of the Teen Space.

• Create a new SoundSpace, with a more visible and usable recording studio and control room.

• Create three meeting rooms and a social gaming space with a video wall.

• Provide mobile display shelving for rotating featured collections and resources from the adjacent Teen collection.

• Improve access to power and data for visitors’ personal and library devices.

• Update security system and add an Assistive Listening System.

Restrooms

• Create ADA-accessible adult restrooms adjacent to the auditorium on the second floor.

• Building and System Updates

• Replace the roof.

• Add a 400-kilowatt-hour solar panel system to the roof, an effort led by Glendale Water & Power

• Upgrade the air handler to an energy-efficient model.