Julian Library's "project page" on Office of Library Construction website.

The updated OLC website features a chart (which visitors can sort any way they choose) of all the libraries funded under the Library Bond Act of 2000.  When visitors click on a library, they enter what Bond Act Manager Richard Hall calls “the project web page” for that library.  On the library’s webpage are not only photos of the bond act project, but also copies of the project’s application documents such as its “Needs Assessment,” “Plan of Service” and “Building Program.”   Some project pages (like the Fontana Public Library’s project page) also have live webcams that not only show the library construction project at that moment but also how it looked on any calendar day since the project started.

The new OLC website is ideal for library and community leaders looking for “best practices” information on library construction.  Hall advises, “Project people [library directors and city managers, among others] can compare notes and see how other people handle certain things.”  Hall says, “We’re really excited about this new way to provide resources for our busy customers…in the future we’ll be adding more information about each project.  One idea in the works is asking each library jurisdiction to write a ‘one-pager’ about the new library’s impact on the economic development, or redevelopment, of the library’s community.”

For those who want to view a slide show that provides an overview of all of the projects funded by the Library Bond Act of 2000, there is also a downloadable Powerpoint on the OLC homepage that has pictures of all 45 public libraries funded by the Act.

For more information about the California State Library’s Office of Library Construction or the Library Bond Act of 2000 contact Richard B. Hall at (916) 445-9604 or rhall@library.ca.gov.