Meadowview branch of Sacramento library reopening after $8.3M renovation. See inside

The Martin Luther King Jr. library in Meadowview will reopen Tuesday after an 18-month renovation.

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The $8.3 million project brings enhanced children and teen spaces, an expanded meeting room, three study rooms and a dedicated makerspace to the building. It marks the first renovation since the 15,078-square-foot branch was built in Sacramento in 1970.

“Libraries are the great equalizer in our communities, and we are open to all,” said Sacramento Public Library Director and CEO Peter Coyl. “For me, giving a community a refreshed library that prepares them for the future is really, I think, the most meaningful thing that we can do.”

The design aims to create a “welcoming, accessible and flexible space that increases access to resources and technology,” according to the Sacramento Public Library website. It was informed by community feedback from in-person discussions and an online survey.

The project received funding from the California State Library’s Building Forward library facilities improvement program, a state-funded infrastructure initiative to upgrade public library facilities, and additional support from local funding sources.

On Aug. 15, the library will host a grand opening celebration. Community room reservations and programming will resume shortly after, according to library staff.

The building and the community needed the renovation, Coyl said.

He called libraries a “vital resource,” noting that Meadowview ranks high in statewide need indexes.

“We recognize that this community … can benefit from additional resources for its residents, and the library is going to try and be there for them,” he said. “Libraries can change people’s lives, and I hope that in whatever way the library can change theirs.”

Sacramento City Councilmember Caity Maple, board chair for the Sacramento Public Library Authority, echoed this thought. The neighborhood around the library is lower income, she said, and many local residents may rightfully believe they receive little investment.

The library authority has made an effort to “equitably spend our resources and ensure that the areas that often have been left behind are actually getting some of these investments first,” Maple said.

Libraries, she pointed out, offer more resources than books — they provide internet access, social connection and escape from the heat.

Coyl said the library was dark and dull before the renovation. The new design brings natural light through raised ceilings and fresh paint, along with vibrant splashes of color through the decor.

Read more Meadowview branch of Sacramento library reopening after $8.3M renovation. See inside

Along with new spaces, furniture and signage, the project added an all-gender, accessible and family restroom. Outside, visitors may notice new drought tolerant landscaping, new signage and a resurfaced parking lot.

A new collection of books came with the renovation, too. The Pinell Collection focuses on African American literature and is named after a local benefactor.

African American history is important to the library: Hours after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on the evening of April 4, 1968, the Sacramento City Council voted to name the location after the civil rights leader, and the building is considered the first library with his namesake.

In addition to the new collection, the library introduced a new HVAC system to ensure safety and comfort for visitors and an automated materials handling system to allow staff to process items more efficiently.

Maple said the renovation was important for usability, design and safety purposes, beyond purely aesthetic reasons. Making the building accessible to everyone in the community, she said, was a key consideration.

Van Gordon, president of community-based volunteer organization Friends of the Sacramento Public Library, said the new space will “knock people’s socks off.” Gordon, who has been involved in the library for over 40 years, visited the location for the first time since the renovation Thursday.

“I felt more welcome when I walked into it yesterday than I have done over the years I’ve been going to that library,” he said.

While Coyl admitted the library’s closure for renovation had a large impact on the community, he said the staff did their best to fill that void through pop-ups, bookmobile stops and story time at the community center. He expressed excitement to welcome the public back.

Coyl, who received his first Sacramento Public Library card at age 5, said the project holds personal significance to him.

“This library system is where I fell in love with reading, and it’s been a real honor and privilege this last year to shepherd this project and the others we have,” he said.

The Sacramento Public Library system has 28 locations serving Sacramento County and all of its cities except for Folsom.

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