Hemet Public library
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The new Hemet Public Library opened in July of 2003 in the City of Hemet. The library is one of the newest libraries in Riverside County, California, United States. Each year, the library checks out nearly 500,000 items.
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[edit] Location
The Library is located at 300 E. Latham Ave., Hemet, CA 92543 Our contact phone number is: (951) 765-2440
[edit] Hours
The Library is open Mondays 10am-6pm, Tuesdays 10am-8pm, Wednesdays 10am-8pm, Thursdays 10am-6pm, Friday 10am-6pm, and Saturdays 10am-6pm. We are currently closed on Sunday.
[edit] Library History
The Hemet Public Library (HPL) can trace it's history back to 1906 when members of the Hemet Woman's Club wanted a place to gather and read literature, so they opened a reading room on the second floor of a bank on the Bothin Block (once the financial hub of our Valley near the northwest corner of Harvard Street and Florida Avenue).
After the City's own incorporation in 1910, citizens voted for their own library, and the new City took over the operation of its own library facility. Soon, the upstairs reading room opened by the Woman's Club quickly outgrew itself. Woman's Club members--along with many other community organizations campaigned to get a public building built to house a permanent library collection. The late Mrs. E. A. Davis then composed a letter to Andrew Carnegie (who was one of the world's richest men, and who has long been considered the “patron saint of libraries”) begging for the funds to help the community build a brand new facility. Mr. Carnegie responded by sending a check for $7500. However, Carnegie placed a contingency on his donation: the City of Hemet had to contribute the remainder of the $12,000 necessary to complete the construction. The City of Hemet agreed to contribute the funds soon after. The land used for the first library facility was donated by Mr. and Mrs. James St. John and the library was built there on the corner of Buena Vista Street and Florida Avenue. Construction of the “Carnegie Library” was completed in early 1913.
The Carnegie Library remained open and operated by the City for 52 years. The Carnegie Library was eventually razed in 1969 having stood in the community for 56 years. This made room for the C. B. Covell Memorial Library Building which began construction in March of 1971. Named after Clarence B. Covell, a Library Board member from 1910-1920, the Covell Memorial Library Building was designed by Hemet architect James Calkins. The Covell Library was 11,400 square feet and accommodated approximately 60,000 items.
As the City of Hemet continued to grow, so too did the number of citizens wanting to use the library. By the start of the new millennium, it was quite clear that the Library was facing growing pains once again. For years, the cramped spaces and difficult parking had made any visit to the Covell Library Building a frustrating and tiring experience. That would soon change! After months of construction, the City of Hemet opened it's current facility on June 21, 2003. Designed by architect John Loomis of 30 th Street Architects, the library is approximately 52,000 square feet and provides ample elbow room for all to enjoy.
[edit] Library Resources in Hemet Local History
The library has an extensive local history collection of books, newspaper clippings, and pictures. An index of many of the library's pictures can be found on the Library's webpage. Visit the library's local history information directly by clicking here: Hemet Local History at the Library
[edit] General Information About the Library
There are approximately 104,000 items currently in the Hemet Public Library.
There are over 65,000 active borrowers with Hemet Public Library cards.
There are 42 public Internet terminals at the Library offering our community free Internet access.
The library offers FREE wireless Internet access.
The Library checks out 10,000 DVD's each month.
The Library operates a Literacy service.
The Library offers Large Print material, and free outreach service to users who are unable to physically come into the library.
