Library

About the Library

The Malibu Community Library, part of the Los Angeles County Public Library system, was designed in 1963, and opened its doors in 1970. Following a $6 million renovation in 2011-2012, the library reopened with a state-of-the-art design made to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) specifications, in keeping with the City’s mission to preserve and protect the environment. The new library floor plan showcases local history and Malibu’s sand, sea, and sun culture, providing guests with comfortable, inspirational areas for reading and research, as well as community space for meetings, presentations, and special events.

In October 2013, the United States Green Building Council recognized the City of Malibu and County of Los Angeles with LEED Gold certification for the sustainable materials and processes used in the library renovation project.

2018 Malibu Library Needs Assessment

In 2005, the City of Malibu and Los Angeles County Library conducted a Malibu Library Needs Assessment to determine the library service goals and enable the County Library to provide service more closely tailored to the community’s needs. See the 2018 Library Needs Assessment. 

The 2005 Needs Assessment established community-specific service goals for the Malibu Library that were primarily focused on the large scale renovation of the existing library and the purchase of furniture and equipment to serve the library program. An extensive renovation of the Malibu Library was completed in 2012.

In 2017, it was determined that it was necessary to update the needs and goals of the community for its library service to determine future enhancements that would meet those goals. The City hired a consultant to develop the needs assessment with the assistance of a Library Working Group comprised of City and Library staff, Friends of the Library representatives, and local residents and business representatives. Public feedback was solicited through an online survey, focus groups and a town hall meeting held on May 9, 2018. On October 1, 2018, the City Council Library Subcommittee reviewed the Revised Draft Needs Assessment and provided a recommendation to City Council. 

On October 22, 2018, the City Council accepted the findings of the 2018 Malibu Library Needs Assessment and authorized staff to work with the Los Angeles County Library using Library Set Aside funds to: a) implement the immediate and short-term recommendations of the 2018 Needs Assessment where feasible; b) develop conceptual plans to relocate the main entrance of the Malibu Library; c) analyze the feasibility of expanding library services on the west side of Malibu; and d) analyze the resources needed to develop a Malibu historical archive. In the aftermath of the Woolsey Fire, the City established rebuilding and public safety as the City’s top priorities and adopted a Work Plan to manage the City’s other priority tasks. The Malibu Library Projects are not on the City’s Approved Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2021 - 2022.