In an effort to better serve the community, the City of Santa Clarita is building a new and larger at Lyons and Main Streets. The new Old Town Newhall Library will offer a larger, more modernized library facility, while continuing to reflect the historic roots of the area.

In addition to being more responsive to the needs of the community, the Old Town Newhall Library will serve as the City’s second LEED-certified building, which means its construction and operation will meet the highest standard for environmental sustainability. The majority of the building’s walls and the building’s mass will be comprised of recycled, reused and sustainable materials.

The City has worked closely with the community to come up with a beautiful design for the new facility that will be a landmark for Old Town Newhall. The new and larger Library will blend with the neighborhood atmosphere and the facility’s design compliments the Old Town Newhall area. The new library exhibits historic references through a low maintenance, environmentally-sustainable facility. This library is destined to become a favorite for class field trips and for residents wanting to learn more about our local history and heritage.

The new Library will be a two story facility with a Children’s Library, Teen Area, Technology Center, Community Meeting Room, Browsing and Reading Lounge, Homework Center, Express Check, Friends of Library Sale Area, Exhibition Gallery, and Staff Workspaces on the first floor. Fiction and Non-fiction collections, Reference and Technology Area, Quiet Reading, Local History, Small Group Meeting Rooms and the Current Magazine Fireplace Reading Room will occupy the second level.

The Children’s Library will feature a story time area large enough for 45 children with a tower and a special child-sized entrance. It will also offer 10 Internet stations, 38 reader seats, two early childhood learning computers, a self-check machine, display areas, and shelving for more than 40,000 volumes. A Children’s Librarian will also be available for assistance and supervision. A family rest room will be provided for families and young children.

The Teen Area will include lounge and study furniture, eight Internet stations, a large screen television, and a teen group study room. The Technology Training Center with 20 Internet stations will be available for technology workshops or as a drop-in computing lab. The community meeting room will comfortably seat 108 audience style or varying numbers in conference or banquet style configurations. A large market place will display new books, topical displays, and over 18,000 DVDs, CDs, and audio books.

The fiction and non-fiction area will house 75,000 volumes as well as 120 current magazines subscriptions. More than 100 seats will be available on the second floor, including seats in a quiet reading room, group study rooms, at tables for one, tables for four, and in comfortable lounge and cushioned bench seating. Group study rooms will be available for small group meetings or collaborative work. A Quiet Reading Room will include carrels and lounge seats in a beautifully appointed room featuring local history displays. The Family Literacy Center will include places for testing, tutoring, and independent learning in a quiet and private environment on the second floor.

In total, the new Old Town Newhall Library will have a book and media capacity of more than 135,000 items. The public will have access to 68 public use computers, 190 reader seats, and 110 meeting seats.