The doors have opened to our beautiful new Main Library… and YOU are invited in!

Main closed for expansion on May 28, 2005 and was under construction for nearly two years. The Taft and El Modena branch libraries extended their public-service hours to continue connecting Orange residents and library users to information, children’s storytimes and programs, the Internet, and reading enjoyment. And now the flagship of our City’s library system has returned – bigger and better than ever! Some facts:

HOW BIG IS IT?

• The new library is slightly more than one acre in floor space – 45,000 square feet, or two and a half times bigger than before.

WHAT’S NEW IN THE LIBRARY FOR KIDS

• A Homework Center for after-school study help from a special librarian and teen volunteers. Textbooks will be provided by Orange Unified School District for students’ reference, and computers will be available.
• A special Storytime Room just for children (with their parents welcome too!), named in memory of the late City Councilmember Steve Ambriz.
• Many, many more books, CDs, DVDs, and other library materials for study and fun. This includes the Klein Family Foundation Older Children’s Area.
• A lot more computers, too!
• A Children’s Garden… kids and parents can read outside beneath our sycamore tree.

ANYTHING NEW FOR TEENS?

• A separate room! The R.J. Noble Company Teen Zone has colorful and lively space to welcome teens with special library materials, comfy furniture, and a librarian who specializes in teen services.
• Three (3) small-group Study Rooms right next to the Teen Zone, sponsored by Adams Steel in honor of the Children of Project Hope School, the Uka Solanki Foundation, and the Turner Family Trust. Sign up with the teen librarian to use them.

AND FOR ADULTS?

• More books, more magazines, more newspapers, more databases…
• AND more computers! A total of 87 computers throughout the two-story building!
• Research assistance continues, thanks to our crack team of reference librarians, from the upstairs area. The Non-Fiction Area is generously named by Sun Cal Companies and Del Rio, LLP, in honor of Orange’s veterans.
• Three (3) more small-group Study Rooms right behind the reference desk, sponsored by Orange Park Acres Friends of the Library, the Alvarez Family, and the Morinello Family.
• Literacy help for English-speaking adults who want to strengthen their reading and writing skills – one-on-one volunteer tutoring.
• A beautiful new Community Room, capacity 133 people.

I WANT LOCAL HISTORY!

• The library has been re-named as the Orange Public Library & History Center because of the huge new emphasis on preserving and celebrating Orange’s heritage!
• A large History Center on the second floor will be staffed full-time with experts ready to help with local-history questions about your old house, your family genealogy, and more.
• Ancestry.com and Heritage Quest Online databases, supported through a donation by Richmond & Richmond Law Offices, will provide genealogy research access.
• Look for great displays of unique local history treasures, including some of our 10,000+ historic photos and various memorabilia.
• And in the Former Mayor Joanne Coontz Local History Reading Room, you can sit and enjoy local history materials to your heart’s content.
• Original sculptures of our City’s founders have been created by local artist Mel Slavick.
• Don’t forget the History Walk!

WHAT’S THE HISTORY WALK?

• Outside the library building! Start at the front door, walk around the west half of the building to the parking-lot entry door…You’ll get a great introduction to Orange’s history.
• 14 full-color plaques explain our community’s unique heritage.
• Write-ups by historian Phil Brigandi – watercolor illustrations by artist Judy Schroeder, both well known in Orange.
• The City’s historic fountain returns… as part of the History Walk!

NEW TECHNOLOGY?

• Wireless access during library service hours. (Orange Public Library card needed.)
• Do-it-yourself checkout machines, easy and fast to use… five of them!
• Automated check-in when you return your library materials – you can even watch them on their conveyor belt.
• A computer training lab – the Rotary Clubs of Orange Conference and Training Room -- where librarians will offer workshops and special training.

PARKING?

• 156 parking spaces, located on three sides of the building.
• Entry/exit driveways are now on Chapman Avenue.

HOURS?

• Same as before:
  • Mondays through Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Thursdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

WOW! COST?

• Free!
• Just show valid California photo ID or other documentation to get a library card.
• Call us at 288-2411 for help in answering reference questions… free.
• Did we say it? FREE!

MORE INFO?

• Call (714) 288-2401.
• To donate to the City of Orange Public Library Foundation’s fundraising campaign, please call (714) 288-2471.