"Thank you for the beautiful work you and your team did. You all did a great job making the space look amazing, and it seems so much more functional for our staff."
- Jennifer R., Branch Manager
In November 2016, Sonoma County voters overwhelmingly passed Measure Y, approving an increase in the sales tax by an eighth of a cent to maintain, restore and enhance library services, materials and facilities throughout the county. With much-needed funding available for the first time in decades, the Sonoma County Library turned to Facilities by Design for help with both a branch refresh and a headquarters move.
As the library added staff and updated its technologies, the need for additional space soon became apparent. We worked with the different branches, helping them to evaluate their staffing needs and reconfigure spaces to accommodate an increase.
Facilities by Design is currently refreshing the Northwest branch on Guerneville Road. This branch has a unique character, hasn’t been updated in a long time, and is one of the library’s busiest branches. The library worked with an architect on ADA upgrades. We obtained proposals for all new shelving, book stacks, and furniture. Retaining the building’s character and existing murals honored the library’s past while all-new furniture with wiring for electrical and data along with collaborative seating and a place for tutoring helped usher the library into modern times.
The Northwest branch will be closed for about two months, a compressed timeline requiring extensive project management and oversight. Meanwhile, a temporary location for book collections required moving the books, which are constantly coming in and going out, and properly sequencing them at the temporary site.
A basement with no windows previously served as Sonoma County Library’s headquarters. We created a space plan for the spacious new building and worked with contractors and the landlord on various items like carpeting. We also developed a furniture standard with a workstation and cubicle configuration. The move required shutting down central operations. Facilities by Design provided project and move management services as well as helped with all of the furniture installations.
