Huntington Beach Public Library
| Established | 1909 |
|---|---|
| Location | Huntington Beach, California |
| Branches | 4 |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 960,495 |
| Members | 123,838 |
| Other information | |
| Director | Stephanie Beverage |
| Website | www.hbpl.org |
The Huntington Beach Public Library and Cultural Center (HBPL) is located in Huntington Beach, California. This medium-sized public library offers online databases, print and electronic books and magazines, children's programs, computer lab, DVD movies, CD music and books on CD for anyone with a Huntington Beach library card. Library cards are free to California residents. Free wireless access is available at all locations without a card. The library is financed and governed by the City of Huntington Beach, California. Volunteers also subsidize the library system by selling used books, operating a gift shop, and running charitable events. In 2015 volunteers donated 57,731 hours towards the library. The first library in Huntington Beach opened in 1909 and has since evolved to a five-location library system: Central, Main Street, Oak View, Helen Murphy, and Banning.
The Central Library resides in a 350-acre (140 ha) park and features an open and light-filled floor plan, spacious reading decks, a public computer lab, and indoor fountains including a spiral ramp water feature. The Dion Neutra designed facility opened in 1975 and was expanded by Huntington Beach architects Anthony and Langford in 1994. The Central library has seven meeting rooms available for rental to help support the library system. Local business and residents have held special events such as seminars, classes, weddings, auditions, jazz concerts and film festivals at the central location. Additionally, several community organizations utilize Central: Literacy Volunteers of America help adults learn to read; the Huntington Beach Art League hosts art shows; the Orange County, California Genealogical Society houses a depository of records; and the Huntington Beach Playhouse produces several shows a year in the library theater. The Central library is located at 7111 Talbert Ave. The size of the Central Library is 115,000 square feet (10,700 m2) as of 2009.
Main Street Branch served as the city's main library from 1951 up until April 1975 when the Central Library was finished. The architectural firm of McLellan, MacDonald and Marcwith designed the modernist Main Street Branch. The building encompasses 9,034 square feet (839.3 m2). At the time it was built it was part of the Civic Center. Located 5 blocks up from the Huntington Beach pier at 525 Main Street, this Branch is a pleasant oasis in the heart of downtown Huntington Beach. In 2013 the Main Street Branch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Oak View Branch Library is the newest branch library, having opened in 1995 on 17251 Oak Lane. Oak View is named for the adjacent Oak View elementary school and has a popular homework club program. The branch serves a largely Hispanic area of the city and offers a sizable Spanish language collection. The library is 4,300 square feet (400 m2) in area.
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