CL Woman’s Club learns history of Library

BY Dawn Rankins

How appropriate that The Canyon Lake Woman’s Club, which had much to do with Canyon Lake being approved to receive its library over 40 years ago, was the site of Canyon Lake Library Branch Manager Kimberly Pike’s presentation on the History of the Canyon Lake Library.

Kim made her presentation last week at the club’s monthly meeting held in the Holiday Bay Room at the Canyon Lake Lodge.

Kim talked about how the library came to be in 1980 because the ladies of the Woman’s Club decided that Canyon Lake needed its own library.

Retired teacher and Woman’s Club member Bea Peterson, a retired teacher, came up with the idea of a Canyon Lake library and she presented the idea to the club. It was decided in September 1979 that the library would be the Woman’s Club philanthropic project and the idea was born.

Just four months later, in January 1980, a rudimentary library was opened in the Canyon Lake Town Center, where Canyon Lake Hair Design is currently located.

Jan Cruz was president of the club at the time and she and Bea served as co-chairs of the project.

“The club had a goal to reach 3,000 cardholders so that the Riverside County Library System would take over the financial responsibility, staffing and operations of the new library,” Kim said. “On Sep. 15, 1985, the Canyon Lake Library officially became the 26th branch of the Riverside City and County Public Library system.”

When the idea of the library came up in 1979, the population of Canyon Lake and Quail Valley was only 1,646, Kim said. Rent for the library was only $400 a month and the space rented was 729 square feet.

Virginia Housholder headed the Canyon Lake Library Steering Committee. Janet Simonson, Ione Hyde, Dorothy Libring and Faye Barnhart scheduled pickups for donated books, equipment and supplies.

The first storytime was held on Jan. 22, 1980, just four months after the library idea came about and just weeks after it opened.

“Dorothy Libering, a former library assistant, was Ms. Dot,” Kim said.

The Library has finally found its home at its new location at 31516 Railroad Canyon Rd. and offers many programs for everyone in the community. Some upcoming programs include the In-n-Out Cover to Cover Reading Program that will begin in March along with a summer reading program.