Arroyo Grande Library to Close in July for Major Renovations
Author: Erica Thatcher
Date: 6/16/2025 1:53 PM
Temporary location to open for limited service at the South County Regional Center
County of San Luis Obispo, CA - County of San Luis Obispo Public Libraries have announced that the Arroyo Grande Library will undergo significant renovations funded by the California State Library’s Building Forward Library Infrastructure Grant. The Arroyo Grande Library will close Wednesday, July 16, 2025, until the completion of the project.
The $1.6 million grant will support essential safety upgrades and critical infrastructure improvements, including fire suppression, ADA compliant restrooms, HVAC, upgraded security features, and more.
“The Arroyo Grande Library has not had any substantial construction on the building since it was built in 1979, so it is ready for some improvements,” said the Library’s South County regional manager, Margaret Kensinger-Klopfer.
During construction, patrons can use the Arroyo Grande Library’s temporary location at the Arroyo Grande Chamber of Commerce, located next door to the Arroyo Grande Library, to pick up holds and return library items.
The temporary location will open Wednesday, July 16, and will be open for business Tuesdays and Wednesdays 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
South County patrons are also encouraged to visit nearby County Library branches in Nipomo, Shell Beach, and Oceano for books, DVDs, storytimes and book groups, and to explore the County Library digital collection, which includes eBooks, eAudiobooks, and streaming movies and TV, at SLOLibrary.org.
Storytimes will be held at Rancho Grande Park on Tuesdays, at 10:30 a.m., beginning July 1.
The Arroyo Grande Library is one of 278 California libraries benefiting from the California State Library’s “Building Forward Library Improvement Program,” a statewide effort aimed at addressing life-safety and critical maintenance needs of public library facilities. Based on data from the annual Public Libraries Survey and other individual surveys conducted by the State Library, the average age of library facilities in California is 50 years, with only 5 percent of buildings constructed in the last decade and only 19 percent remodeled in the last decade.
Visit www.SLOLibrary.org for locations, hours, and events for all 14 County libraries. Hours and contact information for the temporary Arroyo Grande Library location will be listed on SLOLibrary.org on July 15.
To learn more about the California State Library’s maintenance projects, visit their Building Forward webpage at www.library.ca.gov.
