Ceres Library begins a new chapter

The little library on Magnolia Street was bustling.

Families gathered at tables, where parents and grandparents helped tots color pages and make superhero lollipops decorated with masks and capes.

Teens and adults worked online at computers or brought in their own laptops or tablets. Little ones explored educational software on computers not linked to the Internet.

Girls played grocery store with plastic produce and other fake foods. A father and son curled up in a corner to play a puzzle game.

Six weeks after the 5,000-square-foot branch of the Stanislaus County Library reopened – having closed in mid-March for a renovation – signs point to success. Use of the library is up and response from patrons has been “overwhelmingly positive,” said librarian Bryan Sontag.

Anne-Marie Montgomery, branch operations manager for the county, told The Bee in February that the Ceres Library was overdue for the remodel and ill-equipped to serve young families that frequent it. The main focus was to enhance the library’s Internet connectivity with more plug-ins, Wi-Fi feeds and computers for the public.

“We upgraded the wiring because the (Ceres Unified) school district is giving kids Chromebooks and laptops and not every kid has access to Wi-Fi at home,” Sontag said, “so we wanted to make sure we could support it.”

The library also redid its shelves, making them shorter to increase visibility and create a more spacious feel, Sontag said. The change meant a reduction in inventory, he said, but what’s gone are seldom-used books. They’ve been moved to other branch libraries where they might get checked out more frequently.

“We’ve kept what’s relevant and more popular,” Sontag said. Earlier this year, Montgomery gave an example of discarding outdated books on real estate but keeping classic literature.

Also, the Ceres branch still has fairly quick access to borrowing books from the main library in downtown Modesto.

The sacrifice of books was well worth the trade of gaining space for children’s programs and other uses, Sontag said. “We have a lot of families and kids who use the library, and we wanted to make sure we had seating for them. We don’t want to be just a warehouse for books.”

About 50 children participated in Tuesday morning’s story time last week, and most stayed to play in the Early Learning Zone, where they completed puzzles and other educational games, said Susan Lilly, Stanislaus County Library’s communications manager.

Wi-Fi use has increased exponentially since the upgrade, she said. In June 2014, there were 159 log-ins at the Ceres Library. This June, that number increased to 733.

When it shut its doors, the library was set to reopen May 2, but the work took a month longer than anticipated. On the other hand, the work came in “well under” the estimated $300,000, Lilly said. “There were significant savings on the electrical work and furnishings.”

The door counter shows that 50 to 100 more people are using the library daily than before it closed for the renovation. Business “took a few weeks to get going because people maybe didn’t realize we were back open,” Sontag said.

He said it’s hard to say how much of the increased traffic at the library is from new vs. returning users, but a few people interviewed Thursday were first-timers, or nearly so.

Ceres resident Cristina Castillo was there with son Alfredo, 5, who was checking out the Rock N Learn “Getting Ready for Kindergarten” computer games.

“I think it’s really nice,” said Castillo, who’d always gone to the Modesto Library but was impressed with her local branch. “I like how they did the tables and the computers.” She appreciated that the kids’ computers are not Internet-connected because it ensures they won’t be exposed to content they shouldn’t.

Another first-timer was Rob Robb of Bakersfield, visiting with his kids, 5-year-old Liam and 3-year-old Kat of Tracy. With them for just a day and a half, he’d searched online for San Joaquin and Stanislaus County children’s activities. He created an “adventure map” to show the children what they’d be up to; icons represented stops at the Bass Pro Shops in Manteca, Great Valley Museum, Vintage Faire Mall Kids Club and Ceres Library.

How’d Robb pick the Ceres Library? He scrolled the children’s activities page on the Stanislaus County Library website and saw the Oakdale library had a cardboard guitar craft and Ceres had the lollipop craft. Dad ran the choice by the kids – lollipops won.

After the craft, Kat was playing shop with a newfound friend while Dad and Liam played games. “It’s nice,” Robb said of the library space. “I’ve been to lots of libraries, and I like the open space for kids here.”

Working on her laptop at the new Wi-Fi counter at the front of the library was Xochitl Sanchez, a resident new to Ceres from Mexico in February. She’d been in the building just a couple of times before it closed.

“It’s really nice,” she said, looking around Thursday. “It’s interesting for every people because today they can bring their computers and their iPads. It’s easier to find everything right now. Before, it was more difficult. For kids, it’s a good place for them, very useful.”

Paul Caruso, president of Friends of the Ceres Library, agreed that it’s easier to navigate the library since the work was done. “I’m really pleased that the county board (of supervisors) followed through with the renovation. Hopefully, this will encourage the board and other Friends of the Library groups to move forward with renovations of their own.”

Montgomery said in February that a similar approach could be taken with freshening other branches in the county. Stanislaus County has 13 branch libraries largely funded by a one-eighth-cent sales tax.

Use of technology, participation in children’s programs and circulation of the print collection all will be indicators of how well the renovation works, Lilly said. “We also use anecdotal evidence by tracking customer comments.”

Citing the increased traffic at the Ceres branch, Caruso – a former Ceres councilman and Stanislaus County supervisor – said, “The numbers bear out that people are very dedicated to library services, and it bears out in our elections.”

When Measure T to extend the sales tax for libraries was last up for a vote in 2012, it passed by nearly 82 percent. “These things help with understanding of the value of libraries,” he said.

This story was originally published July 20, 2015 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Ceres Library begins a new chapter."