Modesto Library will close for major renovation work. Reopening expected in summer 2026
The Modesto Library will close for a 20-month renovation project, starting Nov. 30, if Stanislaus County supervisors approve the plan Tuesday evening.
The $18.1 million county project will remove asbestos from the 53-year-old building, retrofit elevators and renovate and refurbish the library at 1500 I Street. Officials hope to reopen the downtown library in summer 2026.
If the timeline is approved, the library system will notify the public about the temporary closure through press releases, fliers, emails to newsletter subscribers and social media.
The downtown library’s collection of books and other materials is being moved to a closed area of the Salida Library, at 4835 Sisk Road. People choosing items in the catalog will be able to place a hold and have the items sent to a library near them.
More than 40 full-time library staff and 25 part-time employees will relocate to the Salida and Turlock libraries. Some will staff an express library service at Tenth Street Plaza in downtown Modesto. The temporary express service, in the former Graffiti Dog space, will enable people to pick up items placed on hold and use print and scan services. It will also include a small collection of books.
The temporary express location, set to open Jan. 6, will serve library customers Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
County Librarian Sarah Dentan said programs like Story Time and other library activities will be impacted by the modernization project. Officials are looking for other locations for those activities during the renovation work.
“We anticipate some people may visit other libraries to see what they have to offer,” Dentan said. The county library system has 12 other branches in Ceres, Turlock, Denair, Empire, Hughson, Grayson, Keyes, Patterson, Newman, Oakdale, Riverbank and Waterford.
Once the project is completed, residents returning to the Modesto library should notice a redesigned floor plan, new furnishings, upgraded lighting and a facility that’s up to current Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, Dentan said.
The downtown library serves Modesto’s 218,000 residents, with patrons using around 437,000 library materials a year.
In June, the Modesto City Council passed a resolution allocating $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for enhanced furnishings, fixtures and equipment at the library.
The state is providing $9.97 million for the Modesto library project, which is matched by $4.1 million in library enhancement funds and $4 million in library fund balance.
A Friends of the Modesto Library campaign has a goal of raising $3 million for furnishings and other enhancements. As of Monday, the campaign had raised $2.74 million from about 300 donors. The formal Lifelong Legacy campaign will wrap up Dec. 3 but people can still make verbal commitments to give in 2025, said Denise Nordell, president of Friends of the Modesto Library.
A donor wall will display the names of those giving $1,000 or more. “With this additional $3 million, it is going to be an impressive building that we can all be proud of,” Nordell said.
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the basement chambers of Tenth Street Place, at 1010 10th St., Modesto.
This story was originally published October 14, 2024 at 11:13 AM.
