Palm Desert library closed for 'refresh' until July amid transition from county system

The Palm Desert Public Library will be closed until the start of July for a “refresh” as officials prepare for its transition from a county-run library to one overseen by the city.

The city council first endorsed that transition in June 2023, saying it will free up more than $1 million annually in extra funding that currently goes to the county’s library fund. The county spends approximately $1.5 million each year on the Palm Desert branch, but by withdrawing from its system, the city is getting back $2.6 million a year that it previously sent to the county's library fund.

As part of the transition, the library, which has been on the College of the Desert’s campus since 1996, was closed at the start of May for what the city described as a “light interior refresh to improve the library’s customer experience." The city is spending $692,000 on the initial refurbishment, according to Thomas Soule, the city's public affairs manager.

"The refresh will include some new furniture, paint, new flooring in parts of the building, new fixtures, new equipment, and the reupholstery of some existing furniture," Soule said in an email.

The city has taken several recent steps in preparation for the transition, including last year’s hiring of its new director of library services, Gary Shaffer, who was previously the director of library systems in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Glendale, California. The city also hired two library managers in March.

What options are available during the closure?

Once the renovated space opens in July, residents will need to get a Palm Desert-specific library card to use there, but in the meantime, local bookworms have other options.

This month, the city opened a handful of “little free libraries” stocked with books and other offerings. The temporary libraries are located at Joe Mann Park, Ironwood Park, University Dog Park, Palma Village Park and Portola Community Center.

The city has also deployed a new “bookmobile” that will visit prominent spots across town, such as the Palm Desert Civic Center. The mobile library will be on hand for a weekly story time for toddlers and preschoolers held at the first floor of The Shops at Palm Desert at 11 a.m. every Tuesday through Aug. 13.

The library’s summer reading program will also carry on, with the eight-week initiative starting with a June 10 kick-off event that will feature a family-friendly performer and activities.

The city has also set up a community reading program known as “One Book—One Palm Desert.” The first book will be Susan Orlean’s “The Library Book,” which recounts the Los Angeles Public Library dealing with a devastating fire in 1986. The program will conclude with an evening with the author at 5:45 p.m. June 18 at the city’s University of California-Riverside campus. Registration for the event can be found at palmdesertreads.org.

Residents can continue to use their Riverside County Library System card at other libraries across the valley except in Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, which also run their own systems. Online library services from Riverside County will also remain available to residents during the transition period.

Any books on loan can still be returned to the Palm Desert library via an outdoor book drop, or they can be returned at any county library branch, including those in Cathedral City, La Quinta, Indio, Thousand Palms, Coachella and Desert Hot Springs.

Within 60 days of the library’s July opening, the city also plans to join a consortium of over 400 public and academic library outlets that share their books. If Palm Desert doesn’t have a book you’re looking for, it can be requested from one of those other libraries and picked up in Palm Desert.

City sets up library advisory committee

The city’s setup for its library system has taken clearer shape over the last few months. In April, the city council agreed to form a library advisory committee that will include five community members, along with up to two alternates, to provide input on the library’s programming and monitor its performance. Information about how to apply for a spot on the committee is available at the city’s committees website.

The council also voted last month to establish itself as the library’s board of trustees, meaning it will have financial and administrative oversight and establish long-term plans and policies.

Will the city get a new library as part of the transition?

Probably so, but it will take a while.

City officials estimated it would cost $10 million to $15 million to fully renovate the city’s existing library branch, “which, at such point, should warrant consideration of construction of either 1 or 2 new ‘City owned’ library facilities with different programmatic focus in both the north and south areas of the City,” Assistant City Manager Chris Escobedo wrote in a report to the council last year.

The city has said on its community engagement page that plans are underway for a new public library to be built within the next three to five years. No decisions have been made on its location, but in the short term, the city plans to continue operating at its current location while testing a concept called “Library as Laboratory.”

“This concept transforms the traditional library into a dynamic hub for hands-on learning and exploration,” the city said. “It fosters experimentation, learning, and creativity, providing diverse resources and collaborative environments for all ages.”

Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Desert library closed until July amid split from Riverside County