News Release

San Francisco — City officials, library staff, West Portal neighbors and Friends of the San Francisco Public Library will gather on Saturday, December 18, 2004 for a closing party at the Branch, located on the corner of Lenox and Ulloa, as the beloved WPA era branch prepares for much needed renovations. Scheduled to attend the event are Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, Acting City Librarian Paul Underwood, Library commissioners, staff and neighbors.

The festive mood will be set by entertainment, refreshments, cake, bookmobile tours and plastic hard hats for children. In a ceremonial ode to the branch, which has served the West Portal neighborhood since 1936 and 1939 from its current location, library staff and users will lock the doors to the branch. The renovated West Portal Branch is planned to open in mid to late 2006. Renovations to the branch will make the branch seismically sound and wheel chair accessible. Other details include refinishing chairs and tables, renewing the branch’s original artwork from the 1930s and a courtyard entrance on Ulloa that leads to an elevator.

The renovations are apart of the Branch Library Improvement Program that was approved by voters in November 2000. Combined with other state and local, public and private fund sources, this program will renovate 19 branches, replace four leased facilities with City-owned branches, and construct a new branch in Mission Bay.

Although the branch’s site will be under construction, library services will continue at alternative sites in the neighborhood including:

• Children’s storytimes
• West Portal Clubhouse (located on Lenox Way just up the street from the library)
• Tuesdays at 10:30 am
• Saturdays at 10:30 am

• Children’s storytime in Russian
• Merced Library (155 Winston Drive/19th Avenue)
• Wednesdays at 7:00 pm

• West Portal to Books adult reading group
• Java on Ocean (1700 Ocean Avenue/Faxon)
• Third Thursday of the month from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm

• Bookmobile Service
• Bookmobile service in the neighborhood will be located at the corner of Claremont Boulevard and Allston Way by the lower yard of West Portal Elementary School from Tuesday through Saturday. For hours of service, please call 415-557-4343.

Additionally, West Portal Branch users may also choose to visit the Merced Branch Library, which will have extended hours during the West Portal renovations. Effective February, Merced’s hours will be:

For more information about hours of operation or interim library services, please call (415) 557-4353.