As one Monterey County library gets closer to reopening, two more are nearing construction.

Erik Chalhoub here, already behind on my summer reading. Most of my time is spent reading an endless supply of news, so I really could sit down with a good piece of fiction (even if some of the news reads like fiction these days).

Over the next couple of years, it’ll be even easier to access a good book in Monterey County. By then, Monterey County Free Libraries will have 18 branches, two of which will be new and one that is back after being shuttered for more than three years.

That’s the Pajaro branch library, housed in the Porter Vallejo Mansion that was heavily damaged during the 2023 flood. Library Director Hillary Theyer says the community has been served by a bookmobile since that time. The goal is to have the branch up and running by summer 2027.

The Bishop Street building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is well on its way to recovery. On Friday, June 12, County of Monterey officials and others celebrated the completion of the building’s first phase of renovation, which included restoring its facade. That work was recognized by the Alliance of Monterey Area Preservationists, who were on hand to present the Project of the Year award to the county.

Of the $20 million the County of Monterey was awarded by the state to recover from the 2023 flood, $3.5 million of that is being used toward the building’s renovation. In addition to the library on the first floor, the second and third floors, which have historically been closed to the public, are also being restored with ADA additions.

Those floors will be open as community gathering spaces, Supervisor Glenn Church said, along with housing various County of Monterey services.

“This building here will be a place for community, for learning and for service,” Church said. 

There will be even more places to do just that throughout Monterey County.

Construction bids for the Bradley and East Garrison libraries closed recently, with the Board of Supervisors slated to consider contracts at a future meeting.

The South County community of Bradley has been without a library branch since 2017. The new 2,500-square-foot branch will be located next to Bradley Elementary School.

Meanwhile, bids for the much-anticipated East Garrison library branch have also recently closed. Both branches are planned to be up and running by 2028, Theyer says.

From the northernmost tip to its southernmost point, there’s a library for everyone in Monterey County.