Well, folks, big news in Escondido: The library is moving!
That’s right, the Escondido Public Library is checking itself out of its longtime home—been there since 1981, which, in library years, is like ancient Rome—and it’s heading to the North County Mall. You know, where people traditionally go not to read.
Now, why is this happening? Because they’re giving the old place a $10 million facelift, courtesy of the California State Library. They say the work will take 10 to 12 months, but let’s be honest, when was the last time a construction project finished on time? By the time it’s done, the Dewey Decimal System might be obsolete—again.
The city had three choices for a temporary library: a vacant building on Grand Avenue (but that was a “timeline risk,” which I believe is bureaucratic for “we don’t feel like dealing with it”), the California Center for the Arts Museum (too small, because books take up more space than abstract expressionism), and the mall—specifically the old Forever 21.
Publisher Shera Sandwell hands out The Grapevine print edition at Escondido Public Library./Escondido Grapevine
Yes, the library is moving into a former fast-fashion store. A perfect metaphor: information, constantly changing, rapidly consumed, and most of it won’t hold up in a few years. But hey, at least now, if you can’t find a good book, you might still find a clearance rack full of irony.
So, come June, if you need to renew a book, just take the escalator past the food court. Nothing says intellectual enrichment like the scent of Cinnabon wafting through the stacks. Progress, my friends. Progress.
Well, folks, it looks like the City Council is about to go behind closed doors—because nothing inspires public confidence like politicians making decisions in secret! They’re set to hammer out the details of a rental agreement Wednesday, with a lease expected to hit the council floor in March. Now, get this—our beloved library is moving into a shopping mall. That’s right, where books and boutiques come together in a beautiful, awkward fusion.
And what’s the going rate for this literary paradise?
A cool $540,000 a year—$300,000 for rent, and the rest for utilities. Now, I don’t know what kind of air-conditioning system this mall has, but for $240,000 a year, I assume it includes a personal breeze for every patron.
Of course, during the move, the library will be closed for a month, because nothing says “seamless transition” like leaving people with no place to return their books. Library Director Rino Landa is working out the logistics—should they install new book-return bins at the mall, or just extend due dates and hope people don’t treat “War and Peace” like a long-term commitment?
Then there’s the issue of hours. The library traditionally opens at 9 a.m., but the mall doesn’t open until 10. Landa says they might be able to keep the early opening if the mall unlocks its doors at 9. So, imagine this: one lonely librarian standing in an empty mall, guarding the knowledge while the food court remains dark. That’s commitment.
But the real twist? The Friends of the Library, who’ve been running a bookstore inside the library for 25 years, just found out they’re getting the boot. They thought the museum would be the new location, but surprise! The mall is the choice, and their bookstore? Well, it’s looking at a one-year exile. In other words, they had the wrong answer to a multiple-choice question they didn’t know they were taking.
Ah, democracy—where transparency means hearing the news at the same time as the public.
Westfield North County Shopping Center in 2022/Trip Advisor
Looks like the bookstore’s getting a second chance—just when it thought it was getting the last rites. First, they told the volunteers, “You’re out of a job,” and now they’re saying, “Just kidding, grab a dolly.” That’s government planning for you: make a decision, then undo it before lunch.
Funding the move is the next mystery. The state grant can’t cover it, because Friends of the Library is an independent entity—translation: the check’s in the mail, but it’s going to the wrong address. The nonprofit might have some money, but like a politician’s promise, nobody’s sure if it’ll actually cover the cost.
There’s hope the moving company might do it for free, but when was the last time a moving company said, “Don’t worry about it”? More likely, they’ll move the books for nothing and charge a fortune to put them down.
And then there’s Plan B: recruit some “strapping young men” to do the heavy lifting. That’s a nice way of saying the current volunteers are more experienced in reading books than carrying them. Maybe they’ll find some kids looking for community service hours—or a few people dodging jury duty.
Meanwhile, the library’s getting a facelift—ADA restrooms, a better roof, new lights, new carpet. Hopefully, they remember to leave some room for the books.
The sarcastic and cynical tone of this article is terrible. The real takeaway is, we’re getting a big grant to modernize our library and found a big vacant space in an easily accessible place to keep the library open during construction. That’s fantastic.
Agreed with Alicia. The unknown North County poet ate passive agressiveness for breakfast.
Thank you to everyone involved in making the library a better place. Whatever struggles you’ve been through, it will be worth it in the end.
This article reads like someone took the Union-Tribune’s article, fed it into ChatGPT, and prompted it to rewrite it with as smug and condescending of an attitude as possible.
Dude. Yes, we took aggregated copy plus additional information and AI’d it with the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Gorge Carlin. We DID NOT USE ANY UNION TRIBUNE CONTENT. UT is disgusting pseudo-journalistic trash with no ethics or intelligence. I have not looked at ANY UT content in 10 years. I worked many years at The North County Times with many people now working at the UT and I guarantee you I kicked their asses on any story and when there was a story that needed serious coverage, I was the one who did it, not those lightweight frauds.
I find you going straight to the UT for a reference to be highly insulting. Maybe you should lay off UT crap and look at legitimate news sources. And your implication that going AI somehow is inferior or low quality indicates to me you don’t have a clue about how cutting edge journalistic practices are being employed by The Grapevine. Leave the journalism to us and if you don’t like the story, don’t like the story on its own terms.
Damn, wow. Kicked their asses, eh? Impressive, Weisman. How’d you manage that with your head lodged halfway up your colon?
Oh wow, you only get that one reply and now you’re blocked. I don’t waste valuable time with morons who don’t know what they don’t know. You must believe you’re on X to go straight to disrespecful piece of trash. You want to trade insults troglodyte, LFG. Only thing I got on you:
Solar Turbines
Address
2200 Pacific Hwy, San Diego, California, 92186, United States
Phone Number
(619) 544-5000
I also got:
Age: 57
Full Name: Jordan A Werner
Current Home Address:
12391 Clara Ln
Lake Oswego OR 97035
That you asshole?
Bye, Felicia…