Rain for a Change Stays Mainly Outside Library

THOUSAND OAKS — A few years ago, about the last place Conejo Valley residents went to get out of the rain was the Thousand Oaks Library.

Shortly after its completion in 1982, the Janss Road library’s roof leaked during each rainy season--destroying thousands of dollars worth of books and other materials and adding an ironic twist to the building’s entryway centerpiece: a waterfall fountain.

Now that some $4.5 million has been spent to reconstruct and renovate the library following the 1994 Northridge earthquake, hardly an errant drop of water can be found indoors, despite some of the heaviest rains in the county’s recent history. Even the fountain is gone.

“I miss the waterfall, but it’s great,” said Karen Pettit, 35, of Newbury Park, looking up Wednesday afternoon as the library skylights framed slow-moving clouds plump with precipitation.

Before the Northridge earthquake, which sent the library’s ceiling tiles and fire sprinkler system crashing down, approaching rain clouds would have shot panic through the library’s staff and sparked a scramble for buckets, pans and tarps to shield valuable materials from the leaking water.

“It used to be that every time we had a heavy rain it would also be raining indoors throughout the building,” said Steve Brogden, the library’s deputy director. “That’s all been taken care of.”

Well, not quite.

A few small leaks can still be found above a window near the back of the 59,000-square-foot building. Coffee cans have been duct-taped in strategic locations along the wall, and a loud “ping” can occasionally be heard above the hushed voices and clicking computer keys.

Brogden said the remaining leaks were from a problem with the building’s rain gutters, not the roof.

Though some bugs still must be worked out, Thousand Oaks’ library has encountered few difficulties bringing back visitors from throughout the Conejo Valley.

“We’re busier than we ever have been,” Brogden said. “We’re one of the busiest libraries in the country, per capita.”

A few Sundays ago, Brogden said, the library attracted nearly 4,000 visitors within four hours, breaking one of its long-standing records.

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On Wednesday, scores of students, retirees and other information seekers could be found searching through shelves, reading in secluded corners under the library’s new reduced-glare lamps or discussing matters quietly over open books.

Almost all were pleased that their long-beleaguered, but beloved, library was back up and running smoothly, though some had a few misgivings about its new layout.

“I liked it better how it used to be,” said Janell Case, 24, of Newbury Park, who was visiting the library for the first time since its reopening in November.

“There aren’t as many places to sit, but it’s much better than the one up the hill off of Hampshire--that one was repulsive,” she said.

Library employee Brett Cowan, 21, of Westlake, agreed that the renovated library was a big improvement over the smaller, box-like interim facility on Willow Lane, which was in use for more than a year.

“I like it much better than the temporary one we were at,” he said. “I think a lot of people don’t realize that this one is back.”