It was 6:00 p.m., last Thursday, July 8, 2021. I gathered together my coffee mug and purse, and went straight to the Manager's office to bid my final goodbye to Heather, the manager, and then to the familiar library surroundings, such as the circulation desk and half-torn down book shelves.
In Spring 1999, I was a hired as a substitute librarian for Santa Cruz Public Libraries. To be qualified, I needed to go through a 40-hour comprehensive class training, and another 40 hours for onsite training. Thus, Aptos, and Central became my two practice branches. In this very office, I was warmly greeted by the manager at the time, Julie.
The branch had welcomed a series of managers over the last 46 years. For some unknown reason, most of them have developed a unique attachment to the place which rendered their departure a somewhat bittersweet experience. Established in June 28, 1975 at 7695 Soquel Drive, Aptos Branch Library was managed by Heidi in the first two decades of its history. Owing to internal politics, she was succeeded by Julie after the 1996 Measure B. In May 2010, Julie was replaced by her predecessor Heidi to become a reluctant Collection Development coordinator. But the homecoming dream did not end well with Heidi either, which is a story for another day. Under a new management (2009-2015), branch managers became PICs (Person in Charge), but resumed their former titles under another new management (2016-2021). Heather has been the newest manager of Aptos since 2015.
Instead of feeling a temporary displacement and nostalgic sadness towards the demise of a beloved library building, and its well-thumbed collections, Aptos staff have been exuberant and joyous. The reason is not hard to surmise. With the coffers filled with funds from Measure S, passed in 2016, the branch received its share of a total of the $67 million bond measure to remodel its building. But Friends of Aptos Library had a bigger plan. Starting from 2021, it launched a tireless campaign called Realizing the Promise to demolish the existing 8,000 square foot structure to build a 12,000 square foot brand-new library building furnished with brand-new collections. The extra capital funds are planned to come from private donations and 5% of customer purchases from Deluxe Foods of Aptos.
Designed by Anderson Brule Architects, and built by Bogard Construction, the new branch is scheduled to reopen in late Spring 2023.
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