New Bayview library - Update

by Linda Brooks Burton
Branch Manager- Bayview Library

Plans for the new Bayview branch library are moving along well. The schematic design process is 95% done, and we are now looking into the art opportunities for the branch.

In early January, a Community Artist Selection Panel was convened by the Arts Commission to select three artists to present their design proposals for public art at the Bayview Library. Community members on the panel include: Juan Fuentes, Lydia Vincent, Jeffrey Betcher and Linda Brooks Burton. The artists’ design presentations will be on display for public comment at the branch late next month.

Later in January, a Bayview Library Artist Orientation was held for the three artists selected as finalists: Marion Coleman, Ron Saunders, and Mildred Howard.

The architects for the Bayview project, THA Architects Inc., are asking the community for historical images to be considered for the exterior art/history panels. Some ideas for images include the Ohlone Indians, the Hunters Point Shipyards, Italian/Irish history, African-American migration, church and family.

In other library news, the building next door to the branch has been purchased and is now owned by the San Francisco Public Library. This building will be demolished along with the existing library to make room for the new Bayview branch.

The existing branch is scheduled to close in 2010. The Friends and Foundation of the San Francisco Public Library will be fundraising for the furniture, fixtures and equipment during the closure. The new branch will open in late 2011. In the meantime, interim library services will be held at the YMCA just around the corner on Lane St.