The Coos Bay Public Library has always been a place the community can rely on and enjoy. When it was built, it served the purpose of mainly supplying books, but now offers much more. The library hosts many events weekly, from classes to crafts, for all ages. Other than books, the library supplies music, magazines, movies and a wide range of other items in their “Library of Things.”
“I think the library is a great place to connect to the community and to be connected to information and resources,” said Jennifer Knight, a children’s librarian at CBPL. “The library is for everyone, which is pretty cool when you think about it. It’s a way to share resources in the community in a really powerful way and it’s a way for people to connect with other people.”
Due to the current library building conditions, the CBPL has to move locations or rebuild the library in the same location.
“Sadly it continues to fluctuate,” said Sami Pierson, CBPL Director. “The foundation continues to fluctuate more and more, cracks are appearing throughout the building, we’re having more problems with doors getting out of alignment and not opening. That kind of thing, but it definitely continues to go downhill.”
The process of repairing the building or moving locations has been an ongoing project since 2014. As the building is in a constant need of repair, the cause becomes more urgent, though the building is safe to be in use. Another problem facing the library’s situation is that the current location is in a tsunami zone and does not meet the Seismic Standards to resist an earthquake. More issues include: flooding, leaks-which leads to mold in the carpet-cracks in the walls and ceiling, as well as lack of space to fulfill the library’s changing needs. The building is also sinking partly due to the fact that it was built on what used to be a slough, known as the Mill Slough. It was filled in, and the water diverted through a culvert, when it was built.
There were four locations for the library to choose for rebuilding: their current location, the Ocean Boulevard lot (next to Cascade Hardware), the corner of Laclair and Newmark Avenue, and John Topits Park. It has been narrowed down between their current downtown location and the lot next to Cascade.
“It’ll be a vote between those two sites, that will be in May,” Pierson said. “And then in November there will be a vote to fund the library in whichever spot they choose.”
Hypothetically, If the current location wins the vote, the library would have to be moved to a temporary location while the library building is rebuilt.
“We’d have to make sure people knew where we were for the temporary location and depending on where that is, we may not be able to offer 100% of what we do now,” she said. “But we would still be able to provide the best services possible out of the temporary space. We would have to get creative.”
Whichever location is decided, the library will remain to be an important part of our town and the people who live here.
“It has people around there that help people in the community that are currently homeless,” said Rin Kiewert, a frequent visitor of the Coos Bay Public Library. “They have a fridge inside the library for people who can’t afford food. It’s also just a good place to study and things like that if you don’t have access to doing it at home.”
