Sonoma County Library documents, 1869-><2017>

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Summary

Creators:
Sonoma County Library
Abstract:
This collection contains official and unofficial documents and other items from the Sonoma County Library and its predecessor municipal libraries, including files and documents relating to the construction of the Central Library, records from branch libraries prior to being incorporated into the Sonoma County Library system. The collection also includes Includes Staff history of the Sonoma County Library: clippings, fliers, notes, etc. compiled by Sebastopol Librarian Ann Stroberger prior to her retirement in 2014 (4 boxes (20 binders); Scrapbooks of the Petaluma Regional Library, 1939-1993: Scrapbooks of the Petaluma Public Library, 1939-1993, consists of two binders and eight scrapbook albums documenting over five decades of the library's history. The binders contain clippings (bulk from Petaluma Argus-Courier), Jan. 3, 1939-May 28, 1943; the albums are comprised primarily of newspaper clippings from the Petaluma Argus-Courier, photographs and ephemeral items.The scrapbooks are comprised primarily of newspaper clippings from the Petaluma Argus-Courier, photographs and ephemeral items; materials related to the dedication of the new library on July 10, 1976 (June 22, 1976 letter from U.S. Representative Don Clausen, invitation responses, guest list and photographs from the dedication) (10 items in 4 boxes); Sebastopol Library Arts Committee's records of exhibitions include: fliers and other publicity items, adminstrative records, photographs from exhibits held in the Sebastopol Regional Library's forum room, 1981-2009.
Extent:
<60> linear feet <60> boxes
Language:
Materials are in English .

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains official and unofficial documents and other items from the Sonoma County Library and its predecessor municipal libraries.

Arrangement of the collection

Partially organized into boxes containing one or more series:

  • Box 1: Santa Rosa branch minutes (7 vols.), 1869-1975
  • Boxes 2-9: Administrative documents, 1975-1995
  • Box 10: Healdsburg Library minutes, 1901-1973 ; Financial records, 1974-1975 ; Cash books, 1955-1975
  • Box 11: Petaluma Library minutes, 1962-1975
  • Box 12: Sonoma Library records, 1909-1969
  • Box 13: Cloverdale Library records, 1927-1969 ; new Cloverdale Library building documents, 1979
  • Box 14: Healdsburg Library minutes, 1972-1975
  • Box 15: Sebastopol Library cash book, 1955-1961
  • Box 16: Condemnation of Santa Rosa Carnegie building and new building construction records, 1959-1968
  • Box 17: Miscellaneous Santa Rosa Library records, 1943-1964
  • Box 18: Miscellaneous Sonoma County Library records, 1976-1994
  • Box 19: Miscellaneous Santa Rosa Library records, 1888-1962
  • Box 20: Santa Rosa Library new library building construction documents, 1958-1967
  • Box 21: Branch improvements and new Santa Rosa Library building, 1963-1972
  • Box 22: Petaluma Library scrapbooks, 1947-1967 (6 volumes)
  • Box 24: Petaluma Library scrapbooks, 1967-1977 (2 volumes)
  • Box 24: Petaluma Library scrapbooks, 1977-1993 (2 volumes)
  • Box 25: Sonoma Regional Library. Grant application ; Reports, 1968-1978, 2001 ; clippings ; Sonoma Valley Library financial documents
  • Box 26: Southwest Regional Library ; Windsor Regional Library ; Bookmobile
  • Box 27: Central Santa Rosa Library. Clippings ; Renovation planning ; Central buying
  • Box 28: Cloverdale Regional Library. Clippings ; Library building ; 20th anniversary planning ; 30th anniversary planning ; Cloverdale Library trustees minutes, 1913-1926
  • Box 29: Branches. Correctional libraries--Prison law libraries ; Forestville Library ; Guerneville Regional Library ; Healdsburg Regional Library ; Occidental Library ; Petaluma Regional Library ; Rincon Valley Regional Library (East Regional Library)
  • Box 30: Sebastopol Library (1). Reports, 1966-1978
  • Box 31: Sebastopol Library (2). New building ; Consolidation documents ; Agreements for service ; Management documents, 1966-1968
  • Box 32: Sebastopol Library (3). Children's Library ; Sebastopol new building planning ; Sebastopol clippings
  • Box 33: Northwest Regional Library (1). New building plans ; Correspondence ; Director's notes ; Landscaping
  • Box 34: Northwest Regional Library (2). Architects interviews ; Comparative programs and plans ; Building program ; Claims
  • Box 35: Central files, 1979-2000. Art exhibits ; Book collection ; Book fairs ; Internet/Web ; e-Books
  • Box 36: Central files, 1973-2000. County-wide library planning ; North Bay Cooperative Library ; Staff and personnel
  • Box 37. Library annual reports, 1903-1979
  • Box 38: Agencies and organizations ; State of California
  • Box 39: Programs and budgets
  • Box 40: Santa Rosa Library. Expenditures, 1925-1959

Biographical / historical:

The Sonoma County Library is a medium-sized public library system that serves the nine cities and unincorporated areas of Sonoma County, Califrnia. The library system is a joint powers authority, with administration located at the Administrative Offices, 6135 State Farm Dr, Rohnert Park, CA 94928.

In 1859, a private library association established the Santa Rosa Library, founding what was the 14th public library in California. The Santa Rosa Library would be the ancestor of the Central Library of the Sonoma County Library system. Santa Rosa's second library building was dedicated in March 1904 with a Carnegie grant, although the 1906 earthquake damaged it badly. The library was rebuilt as the Santa Rosa Free Public Library and served Santa Rosa until 1960, when deferred maintenance forced the City of Santa Rosa to condemn the old Carnegie library; the Santa Rosa Public Library was housed for several years in temporary quarters in downtown Santa Rosa.

Private and municipal libraries were also established in towns throughout Sonoma County from the mid-19th century, onward, including Petaluma (1858), Cloverdale (1884), Healdsburg (1896), Sonoma (1903), Sebastopol (1916) and Guerneville (1924). In 1945, Sonoma County Free Public Library was founded. By 1950, the new system included a Central Library and four branches, a bookmobile, and many outlets, among them 80 school libraries. The Santa Rosa Public Library merged with the Sonoma County Free Public Library in 1965, and the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors designated the combined organization as official archives for the county.

A new Santa Rosa Central Library opened in 1967, to replace the old Carnegie Library. The new library included the “California Room”; this became the core of the Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library collection. Between 1967 and 1975, an additional Santa Rosa Library opened, the Northwest Library, adjacent to Coddingtown Mall (1968), and a new library was built in Sebastopol (1974) to replace the old Carnegie library damaged in a 1969 earthquake.

In 1975, a county-wide Library Joint Powers Agreement was signed, uniting all public libraries in Sonoma County in one system. This served the library system until 2014, when a revised Library Joint Powers Agreement was approved and instituted that included representation from all nine Sonoma County cities and the County of Sonoma. During this period, new library buildings opened in Petaluma (1976), Healdsburg (1988) and Guerneville (1988); additional library branches opened in Santa Rosa's Rincon Valley (1994) and Windsor (1996) and Rohnert Park (2003). In November 2015, a temporary storefront library was established in the Roseland district of southwest Santa Rosa to serve Roseland's predominantly Latino community; a permanent facility is planned for the site as part of a redevelopment project.

The Sonoma County Library shares a catalog with the Mendocino County Library and Lake County Library systems, allowing patrons of each library to borrow material from any library in the three systems. (Wikipedia: Sonoma County Library

Acquisition information:
Gift: donor unknown
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard, Second Edition (DACS)

Access and use

Location of this collection:
6135 State Farm Drive
Rohnert Park, CA 94928, US
Contact:
(707) 545-0831
digital@sonomalibrary.org
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