Escondido library to relocate temporarily to mall storefronts; staff to seek April 9 budget adjustment

Escondido Public Library staff told the Board of Trustees they plan to move library services to a cluster of mall storefronts near Target for roughly 12 months and will ask City Council for a budget adjustment and lease approval on April 9.

The board heard that the temporary space will consist of three storefronts on the mall’s first floor — a children’s area, a general collection area and a storefront identified as “Princeton Library” in the diagrams — plus two rooms for staff and storage. The storefronts are not internally connected, so patrons would exit one storefront to enter another. Staff said the move will require a short closure of services during the move week; they described a three-week transition period in late April, with an outside reopening date of May 27 but the goal of opening earlier if possible.

Why this matters: the temporary site is significantly smaller than previous proposals and will change how patrons access collections, computers and programming. Staff told trustees that some services (for example, public computer access and seating) will be reduced in the temporary space, program locations will change, and Friends of the Library volunteers will move with the library.

Library staff and project manager details

Rob Roe, assistant director of community services, told trustees the full relocation package going to council on April 9 will…