Grant R. Brimhall Library
Encyclopedia
The Grant R. Brimhall Library serves as the main library
for the city of Thousand Oaks, California
. It is controlled by the Thousand Oaks Library System, which also controls the Newbury Park Branch Library. The Grant R. Brimhall Building is located on Janss Rd. near State Route 23. There are 59000 square feet (5,481.3 m²) in the main building and 3000 square feet (278.7 m²) in the adjacent Special Collections Storage building. It serves Thousand Oaks, including Newbury Park
and Westlake Village
. It is the largest library in Ventura County
, the largest library in the region, and one of the largest in Southern California
.
The Newbury Park Branch of the library opened in January 1991 at 2331 Borchard Rd. The library encompasses 17000 square feet (1,579.4 m²). The building includes an additional 4000 square feet (371.6 m²) which house the Technical Services Department and the Friends of the Thousand Oaks Library book storage area.
was the designer responsible for the new library. It shares similar architecture to the original Thousand Oaks City Hall, which is located off Lynn Rd. across from The Oaks Shopping Center
, and with the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Center
and present city hall located on Thousand Oaks Blvdhttp://www.toaks.org/library/info/common.asp#470. The style is very clean and futuristic, with straight lines throughout. It is noted by local residents as being one of the most appealing buildings in the area because of its unique architecture, which was ahead of its time.
Art Exhibition at the Newbury Park Branch, which is constantly running and previewing local artists' work.
It was designed by Killefer, Flammang Architects located in Santa Monica, and constructed by AKG Construction, Inc., based in Van Nuys. It took approximately 18 months to complete from its start date, November 17, 2004. Total cost added up to $10,500,000http://www.tol.lib.ca.us/pages/new/screens/construction.htm.
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
for the city of Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak....
. It is controlled by the Thousand Oaks Library System, which also controls the Newbury Park Branch Library. The Grant R. Brimhall Building is located on Janss Rd. near State Route 23. There are 59000 square feet (5,481.3 m²) in the main building and 3000 square feet (278.7 m²) in the adjacent Special Collections Storage building. It serves Thousand Oaks, including Newbury Park
Newbury Park, California
The community of Newbury Park, California is located in the western portion of the city of Thousand Oaks and Casa Conejo, an unincorporated area of southeastern Ventura County's Conejo Valley, which is also in the northwestern Greater Los Angeles Area...
and Westlake Village
Westlake Village, California
Westlake Village is a planned community that straddles the Los Angeles and Ventura county line. The eastern portion is the incorporated city Westlake Village, located on the western edge of Los Angeles County, California. The city, located in the region known as the Conejo Valley, encompasses half...
. It is the largest library in Ventura County
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
, the largest library in the region, and one of the largest in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
.
History
The library was originally located on Wilbur Road, across from the where the Janss Marketplace parking structure stands today. Today, the original building has been remodeled and is used as for art work. The Thousand Oaks Library occupied its new building, at 1401 E. Janss Rd. in January 1982, which was later named the Grant R. Brimhall Library in honor of the former City Manager. Before 1982, the library was part of the Ventura County Library Services Agency. In November 1982, the City of Thousand Oaks assumed responsibility for library operations.The Newbury Park Branch of the library opened in January 1991 at 2331 Borchard Rd. The library encompasses 17000 square feet (1,579.4 m²). The building includes an additional 4000 square feet (371.6 m²) which house the Technical Services Department and the Friends of the Thousand Oaks Library book storage area.
Architecture
A.C. Martin and Associates Architecture firm located in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
was the designer responsible for the new library. It shares similar architecture to the original Thousand Oaks City Hall, which is located off Lynn Rd. across from The Oaks Shopping Center
The Oaks Shopping Center
The Oaks Shopping Center is a two-level indoor/outdoor, super-regional shopping mall located in Thousand Oaks, California. It is owned and managed by Macerich...
, and with the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Center
Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Center
The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is a performing arts and administrative center located in Thousand Oaks, California. It was built in 1994 on the former site of Jungleland at a cost of $63.8 million...
and present city hall located on Thousand Oaks Blvdhttp://www.toaks.org/library/info/common.asp#470. The style is very clean and futuristic, with straight lines throughout. It is noted by local residents as being one of the most appealing buildings in the area because of its unique architecture, which was ahead of its time.
Relocation and return
For many years, the library was not located at the main Grant R. Brimhall Building. It moved to a large commercial building off Conejo School Road. In 1994, the Thousand Oaks Library was damaged by the Northridge earthquake and was temporarily relocated to 2400 Willow Lane to allow reconstruction to proceed rapidly. The Grant R. Brimhall Library re-opened at the Janss Road site in November 1996. Also, there were reports or other problems with the original building. The building began to have problems with the roof in the late 1980s and early 1990s and other problems which caused the building to leak. Damage occurred inside the library due to this, which sent the city and original developer into a lawsuit that took years to conclude. So, until the lawsuit concluded and the building could be repaired correctly, the library was moved to the Conejo School Road location, across the US 101 freeway from the present day Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.Thousand Oaks Library System
There are approximately 370,000 items in the collection, including books, magazines, newspapers, recorded books on cassette and CD, videocassettes and DVDs, CD-ROMs, puppets and music CDs. New materials are ordered daily to the library to add to their already vast collection. The library system no longer uses the card catalog system, but rather a computer database system to store all library information. The library system also offers large meeting rooms and auditoriums at both library locations, and the Conejo ValleyConejo Valley
The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both southeastern Ventura County and northwestern Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States...
Art Exhibition at the Newbury Park Branch, which is constantly running and previewing local artists' work.
Expansion
The Grant R. Brimhall Library recently finished a children's wing expansion project. The Library Expansion Project includes a 22000 square feet (2,043.9 m²) expansion of the Grant R. Brimhall Library. The project adds onto the south side of the building and is devoted to children's services and collections. Additional staff work area is also included in this project. The new Children's Library entrance is facing Janss Road, with additional parking, a drive-up book drop, a courtyard and children's patio. It also offers a separate program room, additional shelving for the juvenile collection, and extra study and seating area for children. The existing facility was renovated and modified to include a new location for the Library Foundation Store, the Special Collections Department, as well as new quiet and group study rooms, additional seating and shelving.It was designed by Killefer, Flammang Architects located in Santa Monica, and constructed by AKG Construction, Inc., based in Van Nuys. It took approximately 18 months to complete from its start date, November 17, 2004. Total cost added up to $10,500,000http://www.tol.lib.ca.us/pages/new/screens/construction.htm.