NEW CONSTRUCTION - MISSION BAY BRANCH

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· Mission Bay Branch Library Now Open!!

The first new branch in 40 years – the Mission Bay Branch Library!

Conveniently located at the corner of Fourth and Berry streets, the Mission Bay Branch Library is the first new library to be built under the Branch Library Improvement Program (BLIP). Easily accessible by MUNI and CalTrain, the branch is 7,500 square feet and cost approximately $4 million.

The library is the first public community gathering place in Mission Bay. It is located on the ground floor of the Mission Creek Community, a multi-use facility which also houses an adult day health center, affordable senior housing, retail space and a large community meeting room.

The branch’s new collection will contain approximately 34,000 items, including materials highlighting local interests such as baseball, boating and maritime history; Chinese, Russian, and Spanish language materials; and a large media collection including CDs, DVDs, and books on CDs. There will be 18 public computers for children, teens, and adults with word processing and spreadsheet software plus access to the internet, library online catalog, and multiple databases.

As SFPL's newest branch, the Mission Bay Branch has ambitious service goals, such as:

• Flexibility to fulfill community needs
• Provide books and other library materials in many formats
• Tailor services to a multi-generational population
• Offer a variety of seating and spaces
• Build infrastructure to support current and future technologies
• Create a community gathering place
• Partner and collaborate with neighborhood organizations, schools, housing developments, day care centers, and universities

The building design is by the firms of Santos Prescott and Associates of San Francisco and Hardison Komatsu Ivelich and Tucker Architects of Oakland, CA. Mercy Housing California is the project developer.

The Mission Creek Community development is a collaboration between Mercy Housing California (a local, nonprofit affordable housing organization), North and South of Market Adult Day Health Center (a local provider of health care and social opportunities for disabled adults and elders), the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, the San Francisco Public Library, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

The Mission Bay Branch is included in the Branch Library Improvement Program Arts Master Plan that is managed by the San Francisco Art Commission (SFAC). The new facility has artwork created specifically for the branch by artist Vince Koloski.

The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library are raising funds from private donations for new furniture, fixtures, and equipment for the branch library. For information on the Mission Bay neighborhood campaign, contact marian.ctaylor@friendssfpl.org.