Children's Library In Murrieta Set To Expand

MURRIETA, CA — Murrieta city officials announced Tuesday that the Murrieta Public Library was awarded more than $1.5 million in grant funding to remodel and expand its Children’s Library and Storytime area.

The grant money from the Building Forward Grant Program via the California State Library will fund the Children's Library expansion into the 15,000 available square feet in the current garden area — extending library capacity by almost 20%, according to the city.

“When the Storytime room is constructed, the Children’s Library will also be remodeled and expanded. This expansion will widen the area and alleviate much of the library's current space limitations and programming restrictions,” said Melvin Racelis, Murrieta Public Library manager.

The library was constructed in 2007 at 8 Town Square and — as the only library in the city — it does not have the space nor facilities to meet the increased community needs that stem from the population boom over the last decade, according to the city.

"Expanding the Children’s area, Storytime room, and collection services will create an additional 660 square feet of shelving and an additional 1,455 square feet for innovative, flexible seating and equipment that would meet the needs of today’s families and families for years to come," according to a city news release.

In addition to the grant money, the Friends of the Murrieta Library and the Murrieta Library Foundation helped spur the library expansion, according to the city.

"Since the founding of the Friends of the Murrieta Library in 1996, the group has been dedicated to supporting the Library by fundraising, promoting library services, and volunteering — in the Library and throughout the community," according to the news release.

Friends of the Murrieta Library operates two used bookstores in Murrieta, the Town Square Bookstore attached to the Murrieta Public Library (8 Town Square, Murrieta, CA 92562) and the Corner Bookstore (39445 Los Alamos Rd Suite B, Murrieta, CA 92563) is on the east side of Murrieta. The Friends have raised over $1,100,000 to support the Murrieta Public Library, providing the resources for additional programming, equipment, support for children’s summer reading, and special events throughout the year, according to the city. The Murrieta Public Library Foundation is accepting donations to support the expansion project. For information on how to donate, visit https://murrietalibraryfoundation.org/donate.html.

In addition to the Building Forward Grant, the Murrieta Public Library was recently awarded three other grants supporting local library programs. The Murrieta Public Library is one of 20 California library systems selected to receive first-ever funding from the California State Library to support projects focused on sustainability and climate resilience.

“We’re excited to move forward with plans to create a demonstration garden with California native plants. California native gardens are sustainable, save water, and provide habitat for birds, butterflies, and other important pollinators,” said Project Coordinator Kathryn Miller. “We’ll also provide more programming and resources focused on sustainability topics, including our annual Earth Day Celebration event, and look forward to working in partnership with the Western Municipal Water District for the garden project.”

The library was awarded $30,000 to create a pollinator demonstration garden with native California plants. The garden will educate library patrons on sustainability, mitigate the growing threats to diminishing pollinator populations, and create an equitable opportunity for all community members to better understand their environment and the impact of pollinators, according to the city.

The project will also include a community-wide Earth Day event, creating awareness about sustainability and climate resilience while allowing the community to connect and collaborate. Public library programming and workshop series will accompany the Earth Day event to educate the community on the demonstration garden and sustainable living.

Another grant will help expand the city’s Seed Library with improvements and enhancements,
including furniture, new display units, additional seeds, and a sign-up kiosk.

Finally, the library was again awarded a Zip Books Grant, allowing library patrons to request books not found in the library’s collection by purchasing them on Amazon and having them shipped directly to the patron. When returned, the books are added to the Murrieta Public Library’s collection.

To learn more about the programming available for all ages at the Murrieta Public Library, visit www.MurrietaCA.gov/Library.