Ground Broken for Branch Library

Los Angeles city officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for a larger branch library on Van Nuys Boulevard.

The 10,500-square-foot library will be nearly twice as large as the old branch, which was torn down to make way for the project.

City Librarian Susan Kent and Councilman Alex Padilla promised that the new library will offer a better selection of books, magazines and videotapes.

“It was here I did my homework,” said Padilla, who grew up two blocks away. “I remember asking for certain books and being told, ‘I’m sorry, you will have to go to Panorama City,’ or ‘That’s only available in North Hollywood.’ ”

The old Pacoima branch library had a collection of about 50,300 books and videos, compared with more than 62,000 for the Platt Branch Library in Woodland Hills. The new Pacoima branch will open with about 58,000 books and videos, Kent said.

At 14,000 square feet, Platt is also larger than the new Pacoima branch. The size differences are based on the population served, Kent said.

Nevertheless, Padilla and Kent said the new library will be a great improvement over the old branch, with more space for computers, as well as special areas for children and teen collections.

“It will be state-of-the-art, with all the bells and whistles,” Kent said.