News Release

For Immediate Release: December 15, 2006
Contact:   Sherri Eng (415) 557-4282
seng@sfpl.org

The first floor of the Main Library will undergo a major renovation starting Jan. 2. The eight-month-long project, which will be completed in two phases, will make more books available to patrons, improve customer service and enhance the overall visitor experience at the Main.

First-phase improvements include: a new multi-function Borrower Services desk that can handle everything from check-out to fine payments to library card issuance; an automated sorting system for faster processing of materials; renovated restrooms; enhancements to the building’s plumbing, heating, ventilation, electrical and mechanical systems; and new flooring.

During the first phase of construction, the Borrower Services area will be demolished and temporarily relocated to an area just behind the Holds shelves. The Audiovisual Center will be temporarily relocated to the Steve Silver Beach Blanket Babylon Room on the fourth floor. The listening and viewing stations will be discontinued and the collection of videos, DVDs, CDs, and audiobooks will be reduced during construction. New self-check equipment will be installed mid-January throughout the building, as well as on the first floor.

The second phase, which begins in June, will include the relocation of all fiction and genre fiction (mysteries, science fiction and westerns) from the third to first floor. The First Stop browsing area on the first floor will be permanently removed and all fiction and genre fiction will be housed in new and existing space on the first floor. Genre fiction will be housed in space previously used by the Technical Services department, while general fiction will be located in the area currently occupied by First Stop. Technical Services moved to 190 Ninth Street in May 2005. The new, larger combined area will make three times as many materials readily available to patrons. Previously, these materials were housed in closed stacks due to space limitations. Other improvements include the installation of a new Information Services desk, more computers, and new seating and floor covering.

San Francisco-based FineLine Construction has been selected to oversee the project.

The Main Library will remain open during all phases of construction and most services will continue.

The renovation is the result of recommendations from the 2000 Main Library Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) report, the Library’s management team, the City’s Bureau of Architecture and the Main’s first floor library staff. The new Main Library opened in 1996.

Temporary floor plan during Main Library First Floor Renovation Project (PDF)