From Launch to Success: Irvine Public Library’s First Year

Photos from the library’s social media pages

Public libraries are more than just places to borrow books — they are vibrant community spaces that inspire learning, support education, encourage lifelong discovery, and bring neighbors together.

Last year marked an exciting milestone as the City of Irvine officially launched its new City-run public library system. More than 1,200 residents joined the August 2025 celebration, signaling strong community support for this new chapter.

The first two renovated branches to open under City management were Heritage Park Library (located at 14361 Yale Avenue) and University Park Library (located at 4512 Sandburg Way). The historic Katie Wheeler Library, located at 13109 Old Myford Road, required more extensive renovations and welcomed visitors earlier this year. Looking ahead, the City also plans to build at least one new library to better serve Irvine’s growing community.

The transition to a City-run library system is already delivering meaningful benefits. Previously, Irvine taxpayers contributed approximately $17 million each year to the Orange County Public Libraries system, while Irvine libraries received only about $5 million in services. As a result, residents were underserved by the City’s three small library branches.

Today, Irvine has greater local control over its library system, allowing the City to modernize existing facilities, plan for future branches, expand collections, enhance programming, and tailor services to meet the unique needs of Irvine residents.

The response from the community to these improvements has been overwhelmingly positive. Since launching less than a year ago, the Irvine Public Library has already:

Issued more than 45,414 new library cards
Added 88,410 new books to its collection
Checked out 611,900 items
Hosted more than 1,000 programs and community activities, attracting more than 49,000 attendees

However, not everyone is a fan of the Irvine Public Library System. Over the past few months, City Councilmember Kathleen Treseder has attacked the new library system. In May, Treseder sent out a newsletter, stating: “I have been open about the fact that leaving the Orange County Public Library System is one of the votes I regret most.” Treseder has repeated that statement at recent Council meetings, indicating that she would like the City to shut down the Irvine Public Library System and return library services to the County. So far, none of Treseder’s Council colleagues have publicly endorsed the elimination of the new library system.