Modesto Library Improvement Project
The Modesto Library will close to address critical infrastructure upgrades beginning Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. Areas to be addressed by this project include heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), elevators, asbestos remediation, lighting, and more.
In 2023, the library was awarded $9.97 million in grant funding to tackle these upgrades as part of the State of California’s Building Forward Library Facilities Improvement program. In addition to grant funding, the project is supported in part by local library funding and the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors’ Building Community Services Investment in the county library system. Further enhancements to amenities and space within the library, such as a reimagined Early Learning space, have been made possible thanks to donors who contributed to the Friends of the Modesto Library’s “Lifelong Legacy” campaign. Additionally, the Modesto City Council allocated $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Library as a Modesto Forward Grant, which will be used as supplemental funds for enhanced furnishings, fixtures, and equipment.
Library Services During the Closure
Full library services remain available at all open Stanislaus County Library branches. The Salida, Empire, and Riverbank branches are all within 10.5 miles of the Modesto Library. Library materials may be returned to any library location, and an exterior book drop will remain available in the parking lot behind the Modesto Library.
The Modesto Library collection will be stored at the Salida Library. Items in the collection are unavailable for browsing but may still be placed on hold and picked up at your preferred library during the closure.
Express Library Coming January 2025
An express library is scheduled to open on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025 at 1002 10th Street, Modesto, located in the 10th Street Plaza.
Hours:
Monday - Wednesday: 10 am to 6 pm
Thursday: 10 am to 7 pm
Friday - Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm
Available Services Will Include:
- Picking up holds
- Returning materials
- Print and scan services
- A small selection of books to browse and borrow
History of the Modesto Library
The story of the Modesto Library is one of growth. It began as a series of free reading rooms founded around 1890 in downtown Modesto and merged to become the Modesto City Library. The Modesto Library joined the county library system, and Oramil McHenry donated money for a new library building. The new library opened at 14th and I Streets in 1912 in what is now the McHenry Museum.
By 1927, the library was overcrowded, and a new addition was added. As times changed and new library services were offered, such as a drive-up book return, film usage, and rental of long-play records, so did the eventual need for a new building.
The building we know today as the Modesto Library opened in 1971. At the time, Modesto’s population was 68,000 people, and since then, the city’s population has more than tripled in size. Considered the central hub of the 13-branch Stanislaus County Library system, the Modesto Improvement Project will constitute the most significant improvements to the Modesto Library facility in the past 53 years.
