It’s happening a few months later than initially hoped, but now, literacy fans and community boosters can rejoice—the Scotts Valley Branch Library is coming back to life.
The grand reopening will go from 10am-2pm on Saturday at its 251 Kings Village Road location. But former borrowers may find it unrecognizable.
“I know the community is excited,” says Yolande Wilburn, the Santa Cruz County Public Libraries director. “We’ve heard from the community members about how much they use the library and how much they depend on it.”
The event will feature guest speakers, a refreshment café hosted by the Friends of the Scotts Valley Library, storytime for children with Librarian Kari and craft-making.
The library even tapped magician James Chan—a teenager—to help unveil the space.
It’s the result of a June 2016 countywide initiative approved by voters called Measure S that secured approval for $67 million in financing to update branches system-wide.
Felton’s library rework was completed in February 2020 (although most of the community didn’t experience it until after coronavirus restrictions were loosened).
Boulder Creek’s branch reopened in May, and Wilburn urges people to have a peek up there when they can.
“If you have not been to see it, I highly recommend you go,” she says, highlighting the uniqueness of its children’s room. “It’s almost like you’re in a treehouse.”
On Wednesday, landscapers were planting the final ornamental grasses at the Scotts Valley site.
Narissa Karthy-Dundas, a library aide, and Paul Williams, a library assistant, emptied the outside return bin of titles such as The Shamans of Prehistory and Dylan Thomas: The Collected Stories.
Some shelves remained empty. But they’d already stocked most of them.
“I just started a couple weeks ago,” Karthy-Dundas says. “It’s very exciting to be able to bring the resources that the community needs back to them.”
Interim Branch Manager Heather Pereira, who’s working here since her Aptos branch is under construction, says she appreciates the retro aesthetic that serves as a throw-back to the building’s roller rink days.
Resident Helen Youmans says she’s happy to see plans coming to fruition after months of construction.
“My daughter uses the online version a lot,” she says. “We used it a lot when the kids were little.”
Her parents, who live in the U.K., even purchased a brick in honor of her daughter during an earlier library promotional drive years ago.
“I’m excited it’s reopening,” she says.
