A NEW LIBRARY + CULTURAL CENTER FOR TRUCKEE

By CYNTHIA CENDREDA

Way back in 2008, a Nevada County Jury Report confirmed what most residents already knew; the Truckee library needed more space to serve its growing constituency. Constructed in 1975, when the town’s population was 2,000, the service area has now grown to over 20,000 people. What began with an official report almost 15 years ago has become an unofficial movement over the last decade and a half to update the modest facility –until now.

Library Up Imagine The Possibilities

In 2019, in partnership with local public agencies including Nevada County, the Town of Truckee, Truckee-Donner Rec & Park District, Truckee Donner Public Utility District and Truckee Sanitary District, Friends of the Truckee Library (FOTL) began the LibraryUP initiative, a campaign to raise awareness and resources for the development of a new library and cultural center. Founded on the belief that strong libraries are central to strong communities, FOTL is encouraging everyone to “imagine the possibilities” of how a modern library could impact the local community. From promoting early literacy and a love of reading to providing a place for book lovers, writers and poets to come together and be inspired, libraries have always been essential in supplementing the arts, education and culture. A new library facility could not only continue to offer these opportunities but also provide so much more.

More Than A New Space

In leading the effort to construct a new 20,000-square-foot library at a designated site at the Regional Park, FOTL envisions much more than a conventional library. The new building would not only house a much larger collection of free books but provide meeting spaces for collaborative work and a gathering place for community events and workshops. In their own words, FOTL wants to build connection with “a space that is warm, spacious and welcoming for all and large enough to accommodate the growing needs of our unique mountain community.”

Designed with the input of Truckee’s diverse constituency, the new library will be safe, accessible, equitable and inclusive, where the community is enriched by access to books, resources, technology and county services. It would be a place for all.

To learn more about the new library project or ways to help, please visit truckeefol.org.