Talk:Hemet, California
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Church of Scientology is not based in Hemet, it is a unincorporated area of Riverside County near San Jacinto, know as Gilman.
[edit] Hemet Public Library
300 E. Latham Avenue Hemet, CA 92543
951-765-2440
Services:
"In fiscal year 2005, the Library system had a circulation of approximately half a million and more than 320,000 visits by patrons. The Hemet Public Library offers free wireless Internet access and also has free access to public internet stations."
History
The Hemet Public Library owes much of its existence to the hard work and vision of the Hemet Woman's Club. In 1906, members of the Woman's Club wanted a place to gather and read various works.
Our community library can therefore trace its roots to 1906, when the club opened a reading room above a bank on the Bothin Block—once the financial hub of our Valley near the northwest corner of Harvard Street and Florida Avenue.
It wasn't until 1910, after the City became incorporated and citizens voted for its own library, that the City took over the operation of the facility. Almost immediately the upstairs reading room quickly outgrew itself, and members of the Woman's Club and other organizations lobbied for getting a public building built to house a permanent library collection. It was the late Mrs. E. A. Davis who wrote a letter to Andrew Carnegie (one of the world's richest men, and the “patron saint of libraries”) pleading for the funds to help the community build a brand new library. Mr. Carnegie responded with a check for $7500. However, the funds were contingent upon the City paying for the remainder of the $12,000 necessary to complete the construction. To everyone's delight, the city agreed. Mr. and Mrs. James St. John donated land for the structure on the corner of Buena Vista Street and Florida Avenue, and construction of the “Carnegie Library” was completed in early 1913.
The Carnegie Library served the City for 52 years. Unfortunately, the structure was eventually declared unsafe by the Fire Marshall. The City of Hemet then immediately took steps to get another home for its public library. As fate would have it, a home was found— it was the Hemet Woman's Club meeting house! In 1985, the Hemet Woman's Club clubhouse became the Hemet Public Library and members of the Hemet Woman's Club agreed to switch their meeting place to the C. B. Covell Masonic Temple .
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.
Having moved three times in its nearly hundred year history, the Hemet Public Library has found a home that will last a lifetime!
