Empire’s new library opens. Here’s why it’s so special – and important – to residents
The new Empire Library doesn’t have quite the “millions” of books that 8-year-old Samantha Alvarado estimated. It does have thousands more than its predecessor, though, plus plenty else to please residents of the community just to the east of Modesto.
Samantha, little brother Landon and friends Leonardo and Alexa Lopez were determined to be the first kids to visit the library, which opened Wednesday at noon. Their moms even emailed the day before to double-check when the doors would open.
“Once I walked in, I saw it was humongous. I’m like, OK, this is not the size of the old one,” Samantha said of the 4,720-square-foot building, located at 98 I St., adjacent to the Empire Pool/ Regional Water Safety Training Center. It’s twice the size of its predecessor. “I saw millions of more books, and I was like, ‘Wowwww.’”
In a reflection of the community it serves, the shelves in the children’s section now hold about 50% more Spanish/bilingual books than the smaller former library on South Abbie Street, said Diane Ramirez, supervisor of the branch library.
Books in other sections of the library have increased more like 20% to 25%, she said. The library also will be getting more magazines, some of them in Spanish, so that residents without library cards to check out books can enjoy reading within the building, Ramirez said.
The library also has a good selection of movies and other video content. “A lot of people in this area don’t have the internet broadband and may not even be able to afford to stream as much as they would like to be able to stream, so they do rely on coming here and getting DVDs,” the librarian said.
Wednesday afternoon, the Lopez and Alvarado children were playing video games and constructing with toys. The inventory of educational toys that help children with reading and math skills will increase with anticipated donations, Ramirez said.
Mom likes library’s spaciousness, beauty
Planning of the library included a number of community meetings early on, to get input on what residents wanted in the way of materials and programming for all ages, said Ramirez and Stanislaus County Library spokeswoman Susan Lilly.
One of the largest Empire Municipal Advisory Council meetings, in terms of attendance, drew families and principals, teachers and school psychologists, Ramirez said. Planning also incorporated what the county library heard from Turlock residents when working on that city’s library expansion.
Silvia Alvarado, mother of Samantha and Landon, said they were frequent visitors to the old library and were excited for the increase in number and variety of books and activities at the new one.
Landon, 6, said he liked seeing all the books and toys. But when asked which are better, books or toys, he gave the answer you’re not really supposed to give in a library: “Toys.” He quickly recovered, though, by adding, “and books,” and saying that visiting the library “makes you smarter.”
Blanca Lopez, Leonardo and Alexa’s mom, said she was struck by the bright colors and beauty of the new library. She also likes that it’s so spacious, even with the great increase in inventory. The building’s 82-person-capacity community room and attached patio also are great additions, Lopez said.
The spaces will have a variety of uses, Ramirez said, such as the community room hosting a book club the library hopes to start, and the patio being set up for book sales. Wednesday, the community room was used by children working on a craft project. “In both areas, we will be able to provide entertainers,” she said. “Sometimes we have magicians or storytellers or comedians. There area theater groups that come out.”
The community room also is accessible from its own exterior door so that events like MAC meetings can be held without the library needing to remain open late.
The Empire Library project budget was $4.8 million, with funding from the county library fund balance, library public facilities fees, Sheriff’s Department public facility fees, Sunlight Giving and the county general fund, according to the project page on the county library’s website. A news release on the facility’s opening said the project was completed under budget.
Location is everything, librarian says
With all the library has to offer, its greatest asset has to be its location, made possible by a donation of land from the Empire Community Hall Association, Ramirez said. In addition to being much smaller, the old location had no outdoor opportunities, she said. And, with a narrow parking lot on a residential street, it wasn’t easily accessible.
Now, the library sits adjacent to the Empire Pool and Regional Water Safety Training Center and across the street from Empire Elementary and Teel Middle School.
“There’s going to be kids that would never have known that the other library existed who are being able to come here because either they go to the park on a regular basis or they go to the aquatic center throughout the summer,” Ramirez said. “The location is the most important part.”
The new Empire Library is open noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit www.stanislauslibrary.org or call 209-558-7801.
This story was originally published June 10, 2021 at 2:37 PM.
