HISTORY: In 1983, Martin Polin, a San Luis Obispo attorney and developer, gave the City of Atascadero a lot near the corner of Morro Road and Atascadero Avenue, to be used for the purpose of a public library. The City of Atascadero and the County of San Luis Obispo subsequently entered into an agreement to construct a public library on this property, and the library opened in May, 1988.
The Atascadero FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY has been in existence for over 28 years, and its efforts were instrumental in raising building funds for the new library. Auctions, raffles and sales of various sorts were held regularly, and the community responded to the generosity of Mr. Polin's gift and the enthusiasm of the FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY.
DONATIONS: The same community support continues to this day, as the public has long been aware that the ATASCADERO LIBRARY is not large enough to meet the needs of the region it serves. All money donated to the library is used locally for the Children's programs, to buy books, to purchase things needed by the Library staff that are not included in the county budget, and for the expansion fund.
EXPANSION: The FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY is currently working with the county staff to develop plans to expand the library to twice its size. The library serves 400-600 patrons a day and has a circulation of over 20,000 items (books, magazines, periodicals, Audio CDs, and DVDs, etc.) a month. It offers computer stations for on-line research and provides assistance to students of all ages in obtaining information for homework and special projects. The reference librarian and the children's librarian put their specialized skills at the disposal of the public and are active in developing programs for their patrons.
Atascadero has experienced a substantial increase in population since the library opened 20 years ago and its resources, in terms of space and staff, have been stretched thin in the effort to keep up with the demand. A large library is a necessity, especially since the Atascadero library also serves as the regional hub for small surrounding communities.
We have been exploring whether to expand the Library on its current site or to relocate to a site in the community that would accommodate our expansion. A significant factor in our decision making is whether a modification can be made to the deed restriction on the Library property. Martin Polin required that if the land on which the library is built were ever used for anything but a library, title would become the property of Stanford University.
The FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY is addressing the library expansion with the same strength of purpose and vigor it used in building the library in the first place, and is looking forward to the advantages that a larger library will bring.
