The Pacific Highlands Ranch Library opened on Nov. 9, becoming the 37th location in the San Diego Public Library System.
The library is a result of a $28 million project, fully funded by Facility Benefit Assessment with funds obtained through developer fees from the communities of Pacific Highlands Ranch, Black Mountain Ranch, Torrey Highlands and Del Mar Mesa. Construction began in the summer of 2022. This is the first new library in the San Diego Public Library System since 2019.
“There were a couple of things that factored into the creation of this particular library,” PHR Library Branch Manager William Mallory said. “One of them was that this is a very populous area, and people needed another library. The next closest one to where we are is the Carmel Valley Library, which was the busiest library out of all 36 [in San Diego] at the time … and so the creation of Pacific Highlands Ranch was meant to take some of that pressure off of Carmel Valley.”
In addition to the need for a new library in the area, the library was a part of the original community plan that involved the building of surrounding housing complexes and The Village, a shopping center, according to Mallory.
“A lot of conversations have happened before all of this, before they even broke ground; they had a lot of community conversations about, ‘What do people want?’” Mallory said. “And they found that [the community] wanted things like study spaces. The local schools apparently have a very prominent theater department, so they wanted to have a sewing machine as part of the IDEA Lab, so we made sure that happened. And so, great pains were taken to create a space that people wanted and that would address the needs of this community specifically.”
Encompassing 18,000 square feet, the library “has been designated LEED Silver-certified green building for its smart design and innovative energy conservation that features a state-of-the-art water reclamation system,” according to The City of San Diego.
“It’s a very modern library,” Aidan Park (11), a student from Canyon Crest Academy, said. “The amount of books here are actually pretty nice. It’s [also] really, really quiet. We’re always surrounded by two schools, and there’s a mall [nearby], [so] I totally didn’t expect it to be this quiet.”
The library offers various amenities, including study rooms, a large community room fitting 250 people with equipped ceiling microphones and an IDEA Lab, a “makerspace” where users can access 3D printers, laser cutters, button makers and other materials for “prop and set design” for free.
Library user Camila Fittoira pointed out the green color scheme throughout the library as one of the features she likes.
The library has received positive feedback from the community so far.
“There’ve been a lot of folks who’ve been waiting many years for this library, and so now that it’s actually open and available to the public, we’ve got a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of excited folks who are just glad to have a library here,” Mallory said.
The library is currently calling for voices from the community about what programs they hope to see in the future.
“People have been requesting music programs, a lot of arts and crafts programs, things that they wouldn’t normally get in other locations,” Mallory said.
The new features of the PHR Library reflect the changing role of libraries over time.
“Libraries aren’t really a place as much anymore [as] just a repository for dusty old books; [this new library is] really a community center,” Mallory said. “We’re thankfully able to provide something like that. You have to evolve — evolve or die. We don’t want the libraries to die, we want to keep them going, so we definitely want to evolve into something that people want and need.”
