Library past due date?

With a bigger, newer library only a mile away, it’s not surprising that use of the Corona del Mar branch library has declined.

That drop in use has library officials talking — again — about closing the branch, which opened in 1959. They’ve considered shutting the Corona del Mar library’s doors since the central library was built, but this time they’re serious because they have an alternative.

Newport Beach library board members are floating plans to add a library component to the new Oasis Senior Center, which also is in the planning stages and should be built in the next two to three years.

“The library’s underused where it is,” library services director Linda Katsouleas said. “This type of situation has been considered for, oh, 10 years, 12 years.”

The central library was built a little longer ago than that, less than a mile away. Since it opened, more library patrons — especially children — have been going there, Katsouleas said. Children’s programs at the Corona del Mar branch were discontinued about 2003 for lack of participation.

While the central library’s circulation went up by more than 30% over the last decade, it declined by nearly 20% at Corona del Mar, according to library figures.

The branch also needs structural repairs and mold removal.

Library board members are suggesting a 1,500-square-foot library be opened in the new senior center that would have materials geared for adults such as large-print books and audio books. It would be about half the size of the existing branch.

“It’s still in the discussion stages,” library board chairwoman Theresa Chase said. “We’d like to hear from the community and find out as much information as we can.”

City Councilwoman Nancy Gardner plans to set up community meetings, possibly in late August, so residents can comment on whether the branch should be closed.

“It’s one thing to look at the numbers, but a library is more than numbers,” said Gardner, who can walk to the Corona del Mar library from her house. “Particularly for our senior population, the library becomes much more than a place to check out books.”

The Oasis Senior Center is about four blocks from the branch library, so if plans to relocate work out, it won’t be far.

Ultimately, the decision of whether to close the Corona del Mar library will be up to the City Council, and Gardner first wants to make sure she hears from the people who use it.

“There’s a sense of ownership about things like libraries,” she said.