Reedley one step closer to securing a brand new public library

REEDLEY, Calif. (KFSN) -- For about seven years, the City of Reedley has been working to get a new library.

"We have been looking very recently at different parcels of land and we think we found one that just about everybody likes," said Reedley City Manager Nicole Zieba.

The piece of land is one of the many empty spaces along the railroad in the downtown area. Zieba says the city has outgrown the current library.

"Our library is very well used, it is one of the top circulation libraries in all of Fresno County meaning it gets the highest use for books periodicals, etc," said Zieba.

She says the library is also outdated and there are no private spaces for programs.

"We can turn the library from the old-fashioned concept of just books and periodicals to really more of a community center that can maybe have a community kitchen," said Zieba.

They are not the only ones with plans for a new library Clovis also has a facility in the works, both will be funded by Measure B.

Rocky Vang spokesman for the Fresno County Public libraries says new libraries attract more people.

"In the first three months of seeing it open, the circulation, the material that were being borrowed and coming back we saw it jump by 8,000," said Vang.

Before the Reedley library can move forward the Board of Supervisors need to approve the project and that requires securing land and assessing it first, which could be a long process.