By admin 
On the new Elk Grove Library’s first day of operation, dozens of patrons made the space their own.
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Kids ran around playing games, teenagers studied in study rooms and adults lined up to check out books.
“It takes my breath away,” Sacramento Public Library Director and CEO Peter Coyl said. “It makes me emotional.”
The library, formerly located at 8900 Elk Grove Blvd., moved about one mile east to 9260 Elk Grove Blvd. this fall. It will host its grand opening Saturday.
The library gained about 4,000 square feet of space, nearly twice as many parking spaces and electric vehicle chargers with the move. The new 18,147-square-foot library occupies a former Rite Aid store that closed in 2019.
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The new library includes a children’s area with an outdoor patio; a teen area with study rooms; a reservable community room; a makerspace that will feature equipment such as craft supplies and 3D printers, depending on community input; and a new “library of things” that offers gardening tools, power tools and other equipment for checkout.
Used books are also for sale in a section of the library run by the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library, a community volunteer organization. Proceeds from the sales support the library.
The library also features a book locker, the first of its kind in the Sacramento Public Library system. It allows patrons to pick up books they have placed on hold from a locker outside the building at any time, even when the library is closed.
Other technology at the library includes an automatic book sorter, a conveyor belt that scans returned books and sorts them for reshelving or return to other libraries.
Art plays a large role in making the space feel welcoming, Coyl said.
Stained-glass artwork originally commissioned for the former library was moved to the new building, Coyl said. Hand-painted art in the children’s section depicts the California state flower, the state animal, elk and the Sacramento River.
The artwork helps give children a “sense of place,” Coyl said, adding that it is his favorite part of the library.
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A sculpture at the front of the building, called “Radiant Eddy,” pays homage to Harriet Eddy, a prominent figure in California library history who founded Elk Grove’s first library and is also the namesake of an Elk Grove middle school.
The community meeting room is named after Patricia Sandefur, a former Elk Grove Library branch manager who developed library programs for children throughout the city.
Elk Grove Councilmember Rod Brewer, who represents much of eastern Elk Grove, where the library is located, said the library represents “who we are, where we are and where we’re going.”
“It’s a love letter to Elk Grove,” Brewer said.
Brewer, who sits on the Sacramento Public Library Authority, said it was heartening to see patrons visit the library on the first day of its soft opening to check out books and drop off ballots for the upcoming November election.
Coyl said the library’s goal is to be a “community activator,” where teenagers, book clubs, nonprofits and other groups can gather and learn.
How much the Elk Grove Library cost, and what’s next
The city
The total cost of the new library’s design and construction is $15.3 million, city officials previously said.
More than $7 million came from state grants awarded in 2022, according to the city. Additional funding came from Sacramento Public Library Fund revenues, the Capital Facilities Fee Program and the American Rescue Plan Act.
The city purchased the former library site, at the intersection of Elk Grove Boulevard and Elk Grove Florin Road, in 2006. The two-story building had 13,875 square feet of space,
The former library building had “less than desirable” conditions related to square footage, parking, location, accessibility and maintenance costs, according to a 2023 City Council report.
The future of the former library building has not yet been determined.
City spokesperson Kristyn Nelson said the City Council will receive a report on community feedback about the building’s future in late October. The council will then receive recommendations from city staff in December, and a feasibility study will likely begin in early 2027.
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