Irvine Public Library System

Unanimously approved by City Council

July 24, 2024 - Vol. 2 Issue 33

Welcome to Infophilia, a weekly letter about the human love of information and connections. This is the Local News. 😊

Cite as: Coleman, Anita S. (2024, July 24). Irvine Public Library System: Unanimously approved by City Council. Infophilia, a positive psychology of information, 2 (33). https://infophilia.substack.com/

Libraries are not just buildings or collections, but incubators of infophilia fostering curiosity and creativity, and gateways to the worlds, igniting imagination, empowering all of us to reach our full potential.

On Tuesday, July 23, 2024, the City Council of Irvine unanimously approved an agreement transferring library services from Orange County Public Library (OCPL) to the City of Irvine with funding provided through an exchange of property taxes. The agreement aims to improve library services for Irvine and the transition is expected to be completed by June 30, 2025. The council meeting video below shows Director of Community Services Chris Slama’s presentation and the unanimous vote in favor. (11 mins video)

During public comments, all residents who spoke were in support of the transfer. One resident, who did not speak, but whose email to the City Council was included with the agenda item did express disappointment that the $9 million being transferred by OCPL for 2025-2026 was not larger. The council discussion was robust with all the members expressing their support for the transfer and the staff recommendations.

I am delighted that I will actually get to see libraries that are worthy of our well-planned and modern city. It’s been sad and depressing to see the outdated and underwhelming libraries that we’ve had in Irvine.