Pleasanton Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Pleasanton Public Library serves the city of Pleasanton
in Alameda County, California
. The library is located near downtown Pleasanton at 400 Old Bernal Avenue.
The Pleasanton Women's Improvement Club was formed in 1908 to improve the community of Pleasanton, an agricultural town located in the "Tri-Valley" area
east of San Francisco. Their first project was to establish a reading room. With $1,100 they raised at an "Old Maid's Convention" and other fundraisers, they purchased a site to house the Reading Room. In 1909, it was opened to the public. Books were donated and a librarian was hired for $10 per month. Honored guests for the formal opening were Mrs. Phoebe Apperson Hearst and her guest, the Consul of Persia. After Pleasanton's first city hall (now the Museum on Main Street) was built in 1915, the city leased a portion of it to the club for $1 per year to house the library and reading room.
The library has grown to keep pace with Pleasanton as it changed from an agricultural town to a suburban residential community and one of the modern business centers of the East Bay
area. In 1964, the library became a full member of the Alameda County Library
system. In 1973, the need for growth led the library to a new 6900 square feet (641 m²) facility on Black Avenue, with approximately 35,000 books. In 1987, the city recognized the need for an even larger library and began construction on the current 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) facility, which opened in 1988.
In 1999, in response to significant funding losses to the Alameda County Library system generated by California's "Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund", the City of Pleasanton withdrew from the system to become a municipal library. Since that time, use of the library has more than doubled, with more than 1,100,000 items checked out in calendar year 2005.
Pleasanton, California
Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, incorporated in 1894. It is a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area located about east of Oakland, and west of Livermore. The population was 70,285 at the 2010 census. In 2005 and 2007, Pleasanton was ranked the wealthiest middle-sized city in...
in Alameda County, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The library is located near downtown Pleasanton at 400 Old Bernal Avenue.
The Pleasanton Women's Improvement Club was formed in 1908 to improve the community of Pleasanton, an agricultural town located in the "Tri-Valley" area
Tri-Valley
Tri-Valley is a triangle-shaped region in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area. The area is 18 miles southeast of Oakland and 33 miles from San Francisco...
east of San Francisco. Their first project was to establish a reading room. With $1,100 they raised at an "Old Maid's Convention" and other fundraisers, they purchased a site to house the Reading Room. In 1909, it was opened to the public. Books were donated and a librarian was hired for $10 per month. Honored guests for the formal opening were Mrs. Phoebe Apperson Hearst and her guest, the Consul of Persia. After Pleasanton's first city hall (now the Museum on Main Street) was built in 1915, the city leased a portion of it to the club for $1 per year to house the library and reading room.
The library has grown to keep pace with Pleasanton as it changed from an agricultural town to a suburban residential community and one of the modern business centers of the East Bay
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
area. In 1964, the library became a full member of the Alameda County Library
Alameda County Library
The Alameda County Library, in Alameda County, California, is a public library system that provides services from ten branch libraries in the cities of Albany, Dublin, Fremont, Newark and Union City and the unincorporated communities of Castro Valley and San Lorenzo...
system. In 1973, the need for growth led the library to a new 6900 square feet (641 m²) facility on Black Avenue, with approximately 35,000 books. In 1987, the city recognized the need for an even larger library and began construction on the current 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) facility, which opened in 1988.
In 1999, in response to significant funding losses to the Alameda County Library system generated by California's "Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund", the City of Pleasanton withdrew from the system to become a municipal library. Since that time, use of the library has more than doubled, with more than 1,100,000 items checked out in calendar year 2005.