Each of the libraries has its personality

There really are only two kinds of libraries, despite the many different types in the world, which include academic libraries with closed stacks full of weighty tomes, public libraries loaded with bestsellers, solidly built libraries set firmly in the ground, and bookmobiles that travel to out-of-the-way places. The main two kinds are the big central libraries in the centers of large cities and branch libraries that are cozily comfortable in their neighborhoods.

In Newport Beach we are lucky to have both a large central library and branch libraries. The 54,000-squarefoot library on Avocado Avenue near Fashion Island is a constant beehive of activity. Around 60,000 people a month use the library to find a wide variety of books, movies, music, books on compact disc, story times, programs, musicales, Internet access, and now, laptops and iPods with books on them.

But Newport Beach is also blessed with three branch libraries. Each is as different from the other as the neighborhoods they serve, and all have a very different feel from their big sister off crowded East Coast Highway.

Mariners Branch on Dover can be almost as hectic as the main library because of its proximity to Mariners Elementary School. In fact, this proximity is making more ruckus than usual as the new Donna and John Crean Mariners Library is being constructed to bridge together the school and the library. Originating under a joint-use plan to maximize public funds, the new 15,000-square-foot building on the park will expand service to and benefit both the grade school and the residents of the community.

Balboa Branch Library on the Balboa Peninsula is the oldest existing library building in Newport Beach and has all the charm one would expect from a library caressed by sea breezes and filled with sand and the lovely suntan oil smell of its patrons. Though it is used by longtime residents and the numerous children growing up on Balboa, this branch is probably best typified by its nautical collection -- a special collection of references, books, films, and tapes relating to all things boating.

And then there is the little jewel in the crown of Corona del Mar. It is set between the firehouse with the constant comings and goings of the emergency personnel and the lovely rose-gardened cottages of the village within the city. Where the central library is stimulating and bustling and as raucous as a library can be, the Corona del Mar Branch is a pocket of serenity in a busy world, where one can browse a newspaper or a magazine, peruse a few books before choosing one, or just sit and think while the breezes blow in and the highway seems miles, instead of yards, away.

However, lest one gets the impression that the branch libraries are somehow isolated from the world, remember that all the branches have Internet and database access and are “wireless connected.� And though their smaller square footage means that they simply can’t have the volumes that the central library has, by placing a hold and designating your branch, the items you want will be delivered from the main library.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. This week’s column is by Sara Barnicle. The catalog can be accessed from home or office computers at www.newport beachlibrary.org. For more information on the central library or any of the branches, contact the Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.