News Article Archive

2009

The Power of YOU^th
The “Power of YOU^th” has shown all summer long that the town is populated by real hometown heroes. From bake sales to lemonade stands, to movie nights and swim-a-thons, the kids have proven they know how to raise money for the library and have fun at the same time.

Sneak a Peek at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center
Youngsters, oldsters and everyone in between will have something to enjoy at the brand new Lafayette Library and Learning Center (LLLC). Although still under construction, it's getting nearer to completion every day and will be finished in time for the scheduled November 14 grand opening to the public.

Wanted: Enchanting Art for New Library
As an army of construction workers complete the Lafayette Library and Learning Center, a "Call for Entry" is going out for submissions of existing artwork to put the finishing artistic touches on the 30,000 square foot structure housing more than 110,000 books and other materials. The City of Lafayette has a budget of $60,000 for multiple purchases for the lobby, the teen study area, adult reading room, children's area and more.

Investing in library, to feel invested, San Mateo County Times
Some of Lafayette's youngest residents are raising money for the new Lafayette Library and Learning Center with bake sales, lemonade stands, and movie nights.

Lafayette Twist in Chinese New Year, Oakland Tribune
EAST MEETS WEST in Lafayette this month when the Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation sponsors a two-week Asian Arts and Culture celebration in concert with Chinese New Year.

East and West unite to open doors for open minds, San Mateo County Times
The Lafayette Foundation this month, with great resources, advanced a campaign to fill it, keep it open six days each week and extend evening hours. Designed by librarians, influenced by community input...

New York Times: Downturn Puts New Stresses on Libraries
"As the national economic crisis has deepened and social services have become casualties of budget cuts, libraries have come to fill a void for more people..."

The Triumph of the Readers
"Like the chicken pox, getting infected by the desire to read is best when it hits us early. As a child I was so committed to Charlotte's Web that I pleaded for, and received, a pig for my ninth birthday, a gift that segued nicely into my Little House on the Prairie obsession."

Wall Street Journal: Folks are Flocking to the Library
A few years ago, public libraries were being written off as goners. The Internet had made them irrelevant, the argument went. But libraries across the country are reporting jumps in attendance of as much as 65% over the past year, as newly unemployed people flock to branches to fill out resumes and scan ads for job listings.

2008

Beyond Books
When Anne Cain was growing up in the suburbs of Boston, her local library refused to carry Nancy Drew mysteries. Cain had to borrow the beloved books from a neighbor, and the memory of that would one day spur her ambition to transform Contra Costa County's library system into one of the most inclusive and innovative in the United States.

With Expanding Library's Promise, Concern About Its Purpose
Last week, when the New York Public Library announced a $1 billion expansion, including a transformation of its flagship building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street using a $100 million donation by the Wall Street financier Stephen A. Schwarzman, it signaled both a great opportunity and a great temptation.

Who Say Libraries Are Dead? Steve Falk, Lafayette City Manager, says "...perhaps like no other civic institution, public libraries bring together people of all ages, backgrounds, colors, creeds and interests who - despite their diversity and differences - arrive unified with a singular purpose: they want to improve their lives."

Show and Tell at the Library! "We started this five years ago and we're really excited about the project." Barbara Flammang, principal architect from Flammang and Killefer said about the over 30,000 square foot, three story Lafayette Library and Learning Center. "Your city is the most architecturally aware on the planet. It's easier for us when the client knows exactly what they want and make their expectations very clear." said Wade Killefer, her partner.

2007

Library salon to host author of fashion tale, Contra Costa Times
1/19/07 -- If you love fashion and vintage frocks, don't miss Sweet Thursdays Literary Salon at the Lafayette Libraryat 7:30 p.m. Jan 25, when San Francisco journalist and author Melissa Houtte will discuss her book, Alligators, Old Mink and New Money: One Woman's Adventures in Vintage Clothing.

Diablo Magazine awarded the new Lafayette Library and Learning Center it's Editor's Pick for Best of the East Bay award in July 2007, writing that it's the "Library We Can't Wait to See Open in 2009."

2006

Council to Discuss Needs, Options of Planned Library, Contra Costa Times
7/10/06 --  If you build, they will come.

New Library Reaches $11.9 Million Goal, Contra Costa Sun
1/27/06 -- The Lafayette Library and Learning Center announced it has successfully raised $11.9 million through community-wide donations and local-area foundation grants to build a new community library and begin an endowment.

2005

The Internet Didn't Kill the Library Card, San Francisco Chronicle
10/4/05 -- Cities can be as status conscious as the rest of us. If your town doesn't have a slick City Hall or a multiplex cinema, you're not keeping up. But do you know what the hot new item is? The plasma TV of civic improvements? A library.

Lafayette Awarded $11.9 million Grant for New Library, Bay City News Wire
6/10/05 -- State Treasurer Phil Angelides presented an $11.9 million state grant to the City of Lafayette for the construction of a new library at a news conference Thursday.

Building Blocks for a New Library, San Francisco Chronicle
4/16/05 - Lafayette hit the jackpot when it won nearly $12 million in state grants last year for its innovative new library and learning center, and now town leaders are celebrating with a series of events Sunday afternoon.

Beyond Books, The Commonwealth
3/15/05 - Have you visited a public library lately? If you do, you'll be amazed by the transformation of some libraries.

2004

$11.9 Million Library Grant Shocks Even Lafayette, Contra Costa Sun
12/8/04 - More than 70m California cities competed for $80 million worth of state grants to fund libraries, and when the results were announced last week, Lafayette's new 26,000-square-foot Library and Learning Center was $11.9 million closer to becoming a reality.

California PL Construction Awards Go to 12 of 72 Applicants, Library Journal
12/6/04 -- The third and final round of library construction fund recipients was announced by the California Library Construction and Renovation Board.

5 Bay Area Libraries Get Grants, San Francisco Chronicle
11/30/04 - After hours of begging and pleading from dozens of disgruntled California librarians, a state commission chose five Bay Area libraries Monday to be among those receiving the final, coveted grants from a bond measure approved by voters four years ago.

Lafayette Wins Bid for State Library Funds, Contra Costa Times
11/30/04 - Lafayette's plans for a new library and learning center won a big victory Monday with the announcement of an $11.9 million state grant for the project, but hopes for a new library in Walnut Creek were dashed when its proposal was rejected for a third time.

Libraries Enter Final Round for State Funds, San Francisco Chronicle
11/27/04 - Battle is fierce; even a 2-year-old sent an appeal for a branch.

A Groundbreaking Consortium Model, American Libraries Magazine
June/July 2004 - "The attraction and superiority of California are in its days," Ralph Waldo Emerson proclaimed. In Lafayette, California, an East Bay Community in Contra Costa County, efforts are underway to make the local public library as notable as the state's famed climate through the development of a distinctive partnership.

California to Build a Revolutionary Library, School Library Journal
February 2004 - Community leaders in Lafayette, CA, plan to build a revolutionary new library that fosters collaboration with local schools and 12 Bay Area educational institutions.

Institutions to Collaborate at New Library for Lafayette, CA, Library Journal
1/21/04 - The new Lafayette Library and Learning Center, CA, scheduled to open in 2006, will involve 12 Bay Area educational and cultural institutions as collaborators, according to the Contra Costa Times .

Lafayette Approves Pioneering Library - Bay Area Programs Sponsor Suburb's New Learning Center, San Francisco Chronicle
1/14/04 - An innovative new library and learning center that will bring not just books but also science, arts and even zoo animals to the Contra Costa town of Lafayette took a huge step forward this week.

Lamorinda is Skating into 2004, Contra Costa Sun, Editorial
1/7/04 - This week, not one but two of Lamorinda's longtime goals will be met.