The Guerneville Regional Library’s long history began in 1924, with the establishment of a Guerneville Community Library on Main Street. In 1945 the Library was re-established as the “Jan Herr Memorial Library,” as a library station for the Sonoma County Library. In 1946 the Guerneville Library changed status, from station to branch, and the location was moved to First Street. In 1961 the Library moved to the Veteran’s Memorial Building. In 1976 the Guerneville Branch Library was designated as a Regional Branch Library, when the Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) was first formed and the lending Library became a part of the Sonoma County Library system. Volunteers and community members began years of work and fundraising toward the goal of creating a new library building for Guerneville. The goal turned into reality when the County allocated the initial funds in August 1975, and the site on Armstrong Woods Road was selected in February 1978. The architect chosen to design the building was John Miller of Roland-Miller Associates of Santa Rosa. He incorporated visible support beams, green paint, and large, high windows to fit in with the area’s architecture. The Guerneville Library Advisory Board announced an open competition for a stained glass window for the new building, to be chosen by a jury. Construction of the building began May 1980. In September 1981 the new Guerneville Regional Library was dedicated and opened.
The library was a huge and welcome addition to the Lower Russian River community, offering books, programs for adults and children, and library services to the people who lived in the surrounding and the farther remote areas. The Library initially housed 16,000 volumes. The Guerneville Library, now in its 90th year, serves the largest geographical area of all the Sonoma County Libraries: the point of services span from Forestville and Guerneville to the coast, all the way to Fort Ross.
