:: About the Library

Riverside Public Library has a history that reaches back to 1888, growing from just a few rooms in the historic Loring Building to a distinguished Mission-Revival Library building financed by Andrew Carnegie to its current system of a Main Library and six branch libraries.

Today, RPL serves a fast growing community of approximately 300,000 covering 85 square miles. With a collection of approximately 600,000 books and other library materials, as well as 235 public access computers (including catalogs) and an annual circulation of 1.23 million, RPL is a major provider of information services and cultural programs in California's Inland Empire.

Library/Museum expansion report

View the City Manager's report from January 20 on: "Options to Enhance Museum and Library Facilities."

2008 Highlights

• Total internet and technology sessions system-wide 362,000
• Total system-wide circulation 1.23 million
• Total reference and information inquiries 200,000
• Over 4 million website hits
• Over 1,220,608 catalog searches - “does the library own this title?”
• Increased number of public access computers system-wide by 30%
• Opened an expanded and remodeled Arlington Library, going from 4,000 to 13,000 square feet. The historic 1909 Arlington site now houses the Library’s largest community room.
• Opened the new Orange Terrace Library with 13,026 square feet in October 2008
• Continued to work with Development Department, contractors and architects on the Arlanza and Main Library projects and with Alvord School District on the joint high school/public library
• Began a successful Volunteer Recruitment program which has contributed 12,885 hours of service to all the city libraries since July 2008. The value of this labor at minimum wage is more than $95,000.
• Currently have 34 readers receiving Home Bound Delivery service through volunteers
• Continued the successful Business Services program to encourage local business to use library resources
• Contributed monthly column to Riverside Downtown Partnership BID Bulletin
• Continued baby story times at Main Library, with an audience averaging 75-80 currently
• Provided Buzz Bee Summer Reading program for more than 5,911 children
  This is a reading incentive program with programs and performers at all branches weekly during the summer.
• Provided Brain Fuse Homework Help through Library computers in and outside of Library buildings. This is a contract service provider. In December we had 315 users. Staff visited schools and provided training sessions to promote the service.
• Provided a Teen Summer Reading program with 588 teens participating
• Presented the documentary, “How I See it” to a large public audience, Aug. 7
  This was a grant funded project from the California Council for the Humanities
  and was a partnership with the UCR California Museum of Photography.
• Installed Peek-a-Book kiosk at Orange Terrace Library
• Published Library calendar and program literature regularly and began a BookLetters newsletter service to interested customers who were looking for some good book suggestions? BookLetters offers book reviews, author bios and interviews, book club ideas and much more, all easily accessible online.

Grants and Partnerships

• Continued Literacy program through California State Library grant and city
  funding; partnered with RUSD to provide stories and crafts for preschool aged children at Longfellow School for the Even Start grant. The families in Even Start are English learners. The parents and the children receive instruction, and are then followed as long as they are RUSD students.
• Created “Roaring Riverside Readers” book clubs in five Library branches for 7
  months. Each club met at least 3 times (135 programs) and involved approximately 250 children
• Partnered with RCC, UCR and La Sierra U. to offer on-site K-12 homework assistance
• Continued the Inlandia Literary Institute (literary arts) through MOU between City of Riverside and Heyday Press
• Participated in Family Fun Day on First Sundays
• Continue B.A.R.K. – Be A Reading Kid program at Casa Blanca branch library
• Offered free tax assistance through AARP volunteers (Main Library) and volunteers from the Community Action Partnership (Eastside Library)