Done

Okay, I’m done. On August 31, driving east along Anapamu Street to deposit Central Library material to the book drop, I find that the book drop opens away from the street, so that I am forced out of the car to walk around the metal box to deposit materials. Amazing. And, why, I ask library staff, has the library not replaced book drop boxes along Anapamu Street? I am told that crossing the street poses a danger to clerks. So, why not install double the number of boxes double the size thereof, to make fewer trips necessary?

How long does it take to build an elevator? The interior construction area has been blocked off by canvas for more than a year now, and how much of the wooden staircase will be sacrificed to this proposed elevator? And was it not possible to rebuild the existing wall-based elevator and save the most attractive part of the interior? I asked staff why do I not hear construction noise when I am inside the building? I am told that work is being done prior to open library hours, which average 10 a.m. during the week, so only a few hours work will be done daily, which insures that it will take three times as long.

You’ve removed most books from the catalog, destroyed the attractiveness of the interior by sacrificing at least a portion of the central staircase to a new elevator, and now you’ve compromised the circulation of materials by making them difficult to return. And there is no end in sight. Sorry, tourists; sorry, downtown merchants.

I just returned my last item to Central Library: I’m off to Goleta, where I can still access the Black Gold system for books, the interior is not ugly with construction, and the drop boxes conveniently open, facing the street.

One final word, Eastside branch is still closed for repair of last winter’s rain damage. We are only months away from the next rainy season and still closed. Sorry, kids.

Editor’s Note: Library Director Brandon Beaudette, asked to comment by the Indy, replied: We are actually working now to have another book drop installed adjacent to the library. While it won’t be on Anacapa Street, it will be accessible from the driver’s side of a vehicle. Distracting elevator construction is often performed work outside of operating hours, but work is performed throughout the day. The Eastside library will be back open at the end of the month. The length of the project was longer than anticipated but we needed to complete drainage improvements, gutter repairs, and sealant to the concrete flooring to prevent future damage. In the meantime, programming was relocated: The Library on the Go Van was at Franklin School on Wednesdays and Fridays, and the Stay & Play program was held at the Eastside Neighborhood Park on Thursdays.