On January 7, as local officials issued fire warnings for the area, Altadena (Calif.) Library District (ALD) closed early to let staff evacuate. About an hour later, at 6:18 p.m., the Eaton Fire erupted in the nearby Los Angeles County foothills.
It would be 24 days before the Eaton Fire was fully contained. In that time, the fire destroyed more than 9,000 Altadena homes and businesses and killed 18 people, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
While many of the buildings and houses surrounding the library were destroyed, ALD’s Main Library was not damaged—nor was its other branch, the Bob Lucas Memorial Library and Literacy Center, which has been closed since last April during an expansion and renovation project. Still, the Main Library required cleanup from debris and smoke, and the building was without power, water, and internet for weeks.
‘A joyous day’
On March 4, the Main Library reopened its doors, offering the community a sense of hope, healing, and connection, says Yvette Casillas, ALD’s youth and family services librarian.
“It was a joyous day to be able to welcome our community back,” Casillas says. Many patrons who had been evacuated “were just so happy that there was a part of their community that was still how they had left it,” she adds.
“I’ve heard over and over from patrons that it’s nice to come back to something that feels normal. Because you drive around, and it doesn’t even look like the same place.” —Nikki Winslow, director, Altadena (Calif.) Library District
Leading up to the library’s grand reopening, says Nikki Winslow, ALD director, library staff faced delays while awaiting utilities and assessments. Cleanup was extensive, with fire debris on the roof requiring a crew and indoor smoke damage requiring mechanical air scrubbers and fans. Two miles of fiber optic cable burned in the fire, and the library was temporarily relying on cellular hotspots for internet access. It transitioned back to fiber optic internet only two weeks ago.
With the building ready, on March 3, staff members returned to the library for trauma-informed-care training, aware that when the library reopened many patrons would need more than books.
“We want people to feel comfortable and safe coming to the library,” says Winslow. “I’ve heard over and over from patrons that it’s nice to come back to something that feels normal. Because you drive around, and it doesn’t even look like the same place.”
Meeting evolving needs
As summer approaches, staffers are bringing back beloved programming like the summer reading program. They are also adapting to patrons’ evolving needs related to housing, childcare, and other resources, according to Casillas.
As an unincorporated community of Los Angeles County, ALD is almost entirely funded by property taxes. With so many homes destroyed by the fires, Winslow says the library has lost half its revenue.
The library’s annual $5 million budget faces a projected $1.8 million shortfall in regular property tax revenue and a $1.2 million deficit in special tax assessments, which fund a quarter of operations and cover bond debt from 2022, according to Winslow. She is lobbying for county and state funding to maintain staffing and services.
To meet ongoing demand, the district continues to seek grants and donations through its foundation, aiming to expand programs such as Wi-Fi hotspot distribution for displaced patrons, which already has a waitlist of more than 200 people.
The Main Library has been a hub, offering patrons the chance to meet with representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration, and access information about rebuilding costs and options from the Foothill Catalog Foundation, a nonprofit that offers prefabricated, pre-permit-approved home designs.
In Altadena, Winslow explains, there is no city hall or city government. “People really look to us for government services in many ways.”
She adds that patrons are “so happy they have this place to come back to that feels normal right now in a world of chaos and devastation. We’re providing that sense of community and gathering in a way that they really aren’t finding it in other places.”
