Branciforte & Garfield Park

A Legacy of Community Building in Santa Cruz 

Even before the city was officially established in 1876, Santa Cruz residents were already organizing to provide free library services to meet the growing community’s intellectual and social needs.  At first, a small free library was created, moving among several temporary locations. But by the early twentieth century, the city had succeeded in attracting four free-standing Carnegie-funded libraries, with the pledge of local support. 

An architectural rendering by Jayson Architecture

An architectural rendering by Jayson Architecture

New Centers for Community and Connection

The campaign will help fund:

Branciforte Library

  • An enhanced children’s room with learning resources to nurture lifelong discovery and learning
  • Homework study spaces to meet the unique preferences of teens
  • A community room to add flexibility for increased community-building activities and uses
  • Enhanced furniture and lighting throughout for a more comfortable, satisfying user experience 
  • Upgraded technology to offer increased digital access and support the quest of users seeking to bridge the digital divide, find employment, and connect with vital services
  • Special collections, interior art, and display spaces to enrich and expand user experience
  • A new outdoor children’s patio and reading garden, increasing the options for meeting, studying, relaxing, and contemplating

Garfield Park Library

  • An enhanced children’s room with new learning resources to help foster the roots of lifelong discovery and learning
  • Enhanced furniture and lighting throughout the library to create a more earnestly welcoming and satisfying user experience and help support increased community activities and uses
  • Upgraded technology to support increased digital access, as well as to better support the quest of users seeking to bridge the digital divide, find employment, and connect with vital services
  • Special collections, interior art, and display spaces to enrich and expand the user experience

Realizing the Promise with Your Support:

For further information download our case statement or take a look at our architechtural renderings:

Branciforte case statement
Garfield Park case statement
Download renderings

To support this capital campaign, donate today:

Donate to the capital campaign

For more information about how your gift can help realize the full promise of this library, and to learn about gift recognition opportunities, please contact:

The Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries

Janis O’Driscoll, Board President; 831-427-7716; president@fscpl.org

Bruce Cotter, Executive Director; 603-337-5656; bruce@fscpl.org