Julian Library Today

New Julian library built in 2004. Photo by Jon F. Noland

By Jon F. Noland

The Julian library was established in 1913 as a branch of the San Diego County Library. Its first home was in the high school at that time. Between 1916 and 1971, it moved to various locations, finally sharing space with Julian Chamber of Commerce on Main Street. Writer Marshal South, well known for his eccentric life on Ghost Mountain in Borrego Springs, painted a mural on the library's walls. His creation can still be seen in the building, which is now the Julian Realty office.

In 1970 the one-room schoolhouse that had operated between 1888 and 1954 at Witch Creek was given to the Julian Historical Society by the county, provided that the building be relocated. Ray Redding, former superintendent of Julian Union High School District and a member of the Julian Historical Society, led the drive to raise nearly $9,000 from more than 300 donors. The county Board of Supervisors agreed to the schoolhouse being moved to Julian and restored as a library.

Dee Nolin, a Poway housemover, offered to move the building from Witch Creek to Julian as a memorial to his parents for a cost of one silver dollar. The building was cut in half and the cupola removed for trucking up the hill from Witch Creek. On Aug 6, 1970, the building was placed on the hill at Fourth and Washington streets. (It is now the headquarters of the Julian Historical Society.) On Nov. 12, 1971, after 58 years of temporary locations, the Julian library found a permanent home with 1,200 square feet of space.

For the next 33 years, the Julian library grew from a collection of books and magazines to include audio video materials and computers. It could hold about 30 people at one time. It had a unisex bathroom that was drafty in the winter and usually 90 degrees by mid-afternoon in the summer.

In 1984, the Friends of the Julian Library was founded. Its first project was to refinish the wooden flooring, add a ventilation system and repaint the walls. Members also cleaned and shelved books, purchased materials and provided funding for programs, largely through benefit social events and an annual sale of used books.

By the mid-1990s the Friends embarked on a concerted effort to find ways and means to relocate to a larger facility. Members enlisted the help of the Julian Educational Foundation. The Julian Union High School District Board of Trustees gave the land for a new library. A Community Development Block Grant was awarded to pay for working design drawings.

In 2000, the Friends of the Julian Library, led by Nancy Hall and Jan Mattias, decided to take advantage of Proposition 14 (Public Library Construction and Renovation Bond Act). All they had to do was raise $806,000 and fill out a grant proposal. They successfully engaged the community of Julian to see the need for a new library building. Numerous fundraising events were held. Julian became the first town to have a library built in California with Proposition 14 funds.

In 2004, the Julian Library relocated to a new and beautiful 9,500-square-foot building with ample computer terminals for public use, a community room, spacious children and adult sections, and a dramatic open-beam ceiling along with metal and glass gates designed by local artist James Hubbell.

Located at 1850 State Route 78, the Julian library continues to provide vital services to community members and visitors to Julian. The library is open Tuesdays through Saturdays. There you can admire the architecture, check your e-mail or surf the Internet, and look for bargain used books in the Friends' bookstore.