After 18 months of construction, the Auburn Library at 350 Nevada Street is set to reopen with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22, capping a renovation that cost nearly $10 million and touched nearly every corner of the more than 50-year-old building. Residents will be able to explore the newly renovated library throughout the day, with guided tours and family-friendly activities rounding out the grand reopening celebration.
The project was funded largely through a $4.9 million Building Forward Library Infrastructure Grant from the California State Library, matched by county funds to cover the full $9.8 million budget, according to Roseville Today. The renovation, detailed in a post from Placer County, included an elevator, fully accessible public restrooms, fire sprinkler systems, new heating and air conditioning units, upgraded telecommunications, modern lighting controls and new electrical systems. County officials say the upgrades enhance accessibility, safety and comfort for library visitors.
A Building Pushing Past Its 50s Gets a Modern Makeover
Ground was originally broken for the Nevada Street building on August 10, 1971, meaning the facility will be 55 years old at its reopening, per Roseville Today's account of the project's history. The 1971 building replaced separate city and county library quarters after Auburn's city library and the Placer County Library system officially merged in 1967, finalized the following year, a consolidation that also unlocked federal construction grant funding for the shared central facility, according to Placer County's own historical records.
Library Director Amy Boese said the Auburn Library “has served generations of residents,” a sentiment that stretches back well before the current building went up. Auburn's public library tradition dates to 1888, when the Ladies of the Auburn Library Association compiled and sold “The Little Gem Cook Book” to raise money for the town's first library collection, with the city not assuming municipal tax responsibility for the collection until 1906. The city's original permanent library building on Almond Street, built in 1909 with a $10,000 grant from the Andrew Carnegie Corporation, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in March 2011, according to Wikipedia.
Exterior Redesign Adds ADA Pathways and Retaining Walls
Siegfried Engineering handled civil engineering, structural engineering, landscape architecture and surveying for the library's exterior and structural redesign, which included new ADA-compliant access pathways and landscape retaining walls, according to Siegfried Engineering. The firm coordinated that exterior work alongside the interior overhauls to improve both safety and appearance across the site.
District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson said the Auburn Library “is more than just a building” and serves as a community gathering place. The renovation was part of a broader countywide capital strategy: Placer County applied for Building Forward grant funding for its Kings Beach branch in Lake Tahoe alongside the Auburn project, with both branches targeted over critical life-safety and accessibility compliance needs, Roseville Today reports.
Temporary Site Closes Days Before the Big Move Back
During construction, library services were relocated to the Placer County Finance Administration Building in North Auburn, where the temporary site allowed patrons to keep accessing books, programs and other library services, though on a restricted five-day schedule rather than the main branch's usual hours. That temporary location will continue operating through Monday, Aug. 17, after which all Auburn library services will be fully paused from Aug. 18 through Aug. 21 so staff can complete the move back to Nevada Street.
Once the doors reopen Aug. 22, the Auburn Library will expand to seven-day-a-week public service, a notable jump from the temporary site's limited hours. The Auburn branch functions as a central hub in the Placer County Library network, which also includes regional branches in Rocklin, Colfax, Foresthill, Granite Bay, Kings Beach, Loomis, Applegate and Tahoe City — some of which, including Rocklin's full-service branch, absorbed patrons during Auburn's 18-month closure.
