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Ventura County to close E.P. Foster Library March 23 for multi‑year renovation, director says
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Summary
Ventura County Library Director Nancy Schramm said the E.P. Foster Library in downtown Ventura will close March 23 and remain closed through fall 2027 for a renovation that will add air conditioning, a new roof, upgraded windows, a new elevator and other accessibility and efficiency improvements; the project is funded by a state library grant and local matches, and a mobile library will provide limited services during the closure.
Ventura County Library Director Nancy Schramm said the E.P. Foster Library in downtown Ventura will close to the public on Monday, March 23, and remain closed through fall 2027 for a major renovation that adds air conditioning, a new roof, upgraded windows, LED lighting, new flooring and a new elevator.
"Perhaps the most important is that we will be installing air conditioning at the EP Foster Library," Schramm said, noting the 1959 building has never had central air and has already needed to close during extreme heat events. She said the renovated building will also be able to serve as a cooling center during heat emergencies.
Schramm described the project as focused on safety and accessibility. The renovation will include energy-efficiency upgrades — new windows and LED lighting — a replacement roof, paint and floor work, and a new elevator to address recurring ADA access interruptions when the current elevator breaks down.
The county secured funding through a Building Forward library infrastructure grant from the California State Library for "just over $8,700,000," Schramm said. The city of Ventura and Ventura County each contributed more than $1,400,000 in matching funds. Schramm also credited Congressman Carbajal with securing an additional $750,000 and said the Ventura Friends of the Library donated $250,000.
Schramm emphasized the project's local importance by noting usage: "In fiscal year 24-25, over a 172,000 people came to visit this library in person," she said, making E.P. Foster the busiest of the county's 12 branches and a priority for upgrades and preservation.
The project team is working with a historical architect to preserve the building's character. Schramm traced the site's history on Main Street: a 1921 neoclassical structure that originally served as city hall and library sits behind the 1959 mid-century modern addition that will receive the upgrades.
While the Foster branch is closed, Schramm said patrons can use other county libraries — including the Avenue Library, Hill Road Library and Saticoy Library — and access online resources via the Ventura County Library website. "People can access thousands and thousands of ebooks and eaudiobooks from the website," she said, and the system offers live homework help in English and Spanish as well as temporary online library cards.
Starting in April, the county's mobile library will be parked in front of the Foster Library once a week on Main Street, Mondays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., providing holds pickup, checkouts, returns and some story times for families, Schramm said.
Schramm also used the interview to highlight broader county library services: career support, adult literacy and a Career Online High School program that recently graduated 16 students. "We are there. We are needed," she said, describing the library's role in digital literacy and lending nontraditional items such as Chromebooks and home energy kits through local sustainability partnerships.
For project updates, Schramm and the host directed listeners to library.venturacounty.gov/epfoster and the Ventura County Library social media channels. The county plans to reopen the renovated E.P. Foster Library in fall 2027, subject to construction schedules and permitting.
