Like most public libraries, the La Jolla-Riford Branch Library is constantly looking to stay relevant, increase funding and meet the community’s changing needs while adhering to the long-held and important work that libraries have done over the years. Part of the San Diego Public Library system, the La Jolla branch is located at 7555 Draper Ave. at Pearl Street and looks very much like a stately seaside home, only this library is a home to some 120,000 books and a countless number of programs that serve the community. The branch was built in 1989 with a major renovation and new Joan and Irwin Jacobs Library Annex addition, which opened in 2004. But new buildings need new ideas to stay vital, says Sally Warren, president of the Friends of the Library. And this branch has that in director Shaun Briley, a veteran of the library system who came to the La Jolla-Riford branch in July of 2014 from the San Diego Central Library, where he was circulation manager with a staff of 70 people. Briley says he has focused on keeping the local branch a busy place, and the numbers bear this out: The La Jolla-Riford has bucked the trend across the country of flat or decreased library attendance and community interaction. New programs that include all ages and demographics have been developed, and there is a real focus on the sciences and the environment, one of San Diego’s sweet spots. The staffing has been changed to improve customer service, and the employees have been empowered to have more direct customer service input. Library security, long a complaint with people in all age groups, has been addressed at the Riford branch with the addition of a full-time security guard at the door to ensure all patrons have a pleasant and welcoming experience and the staff sees that the library rules are strictly enforced. While some of the existing programs and goals have been part of the library’s agenda for years, much of the buzz and excitement has come since Briley’s team opened a new biotechnology lab, the first of its kind in the country and recently featured in the Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle as well as local magazines and NBC 7 News. “We get a lot of attention for the Bio Lab, and the obvious reason is that San Diego and La Jolla are one of a handful of global centers for biotechnology,” says Briley, who notes that biotech is one of the region’s largest employment sectors. “To me, it just made sense to become an outlet for those places to reach the public. I’m always… looking for new ideas and ways to bring assets in for the community. When you work in a not-for-profit like a library, you always have to hustle. I’m all over the place. …. I’m trying to market the library and the things we have on our plate. That’s my role.” In that vein, the La Jolla-Riford was the first branch in the San Diego system to offer a state-of-the-art 3-D printer for patrons to use. This new-style “printer” — which makes three-dimensional objects from a digital file — allows local entrepreneurs to build prototypes for their products, which when done on their own can be time-consuming and costly. Warren, of the Friends organization, says she has seen a change in perception and attendance since Briley took the helm. “He’s young, dynamic and has young kids,” she says. “He’s very creative, and I think that he has done a terrific job trying to think of new ways to bring all age groups into the library. He started the biolab about a year ago, and it’s brought a renewed interest in the library as a community service and a gathering place for all kinds of information.” Briley’s efforts have been recognized outside the area, too. He was recently named one of the Library Journal’s “Movers and Shakers in Innovation.” The La Jolla branch library is experiencing a modern-day renaissance of sorts, and the community has responded by attending the events, classes, seminars and business meetings at the venue. With an increase in interest and use by the La Jolla community and communities throughout the county, revenues have risen, and La Jolla-Riford, outside of the Central Library, is the biggest revenue driver within the San Diego system. Briley does not know exactly what percentage of overall revenues his branch brings in but emphasizes that growing the users and revenues is a task that all branch managers struggle with. “The quality of the events we are putting on here is a benefit for not only the people in La Jolla but people from all over the city coming in for these events,” says Briley. “We have two events in April, the Antique Book Roadshow on the 10th and the Citizens Science Expo on the 21st, that are unique. We haven’t been doing these things before. When we look at libraries for the future, we have to look beyond how many books did people check out. “One of the interesting things is we’re doing all of this novel stuff that is outside of the normal library paradigm, and the result has been an increase in success on the traditional side. We weren’t trying to get the circulation up by putting a biolab in here, but the book circulation has gone up – it shows it’s not incompatible to look for new things. You will see a revival of success in the other models if you do this.” Briley says that he sees changes like the biolab as opportunities to further the education and learning of students in La Jolla and the general community to better understand this industry that is key to the San Diego economy. On any day, you are just as likely to find someone looking to book a meeting space as you are a person doing research for an academic project. One of the key growth areas for the La Jolla-Riford branch is in the use of its meeting space. Booking a meeting space at the branch may sometimes prove to be difficult, which is a good problem to have, Briley says – but they are trying to meet the increase in demand from nonprofits and local businesses. (The meeting and conference spaces are free for nonprofit groups and offered to businesses at a below-market rate: $100 an hour for the large meeting room, which seats 100, and $50 an hour for the smaller room, which seats 50 people. Both are fully equipped.) “Shaun uses his best radar to pinpoint what we need to provide services, not just to the La Jolla community but for folks who come in across the county to see what’s going on,” Warren says. “He is very sensitive and empathetic to what a library should provide to its public. He’s a really friendly guy who goes out and talks to folks and does not hide in his office. He’s out interacting with people and has been a fantastic addition.”