Lafayette Library and Learning Center
🏢 Contra Costa County Library · Lafayette, California
Lafayette Library and Learning Center
Built through more than a decade of community fundraising and an $11.9 million state grant, this award-winning KFA-designed building opened in 2009 as Lafayette's civic heart — home to the Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium and a 161-seat community hall with a Steinway grand piano.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 10am–8pm |
| Tuesday | 10am–8pm |
| Wednesday | 10am–8pm |
| Thursday | 10am–8pm |
| Friday | 9am–5pm |
| Saturday | 9am–5pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 3491 Mt. Diablo Boulevard, Lafayette, CA 94549
Phone: (925) 385-2280
Website: ccclib.org
Plus Code: 849VVVRM+QJ (Lafayette, CA)
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📖 About Lafayette Library and Learning Center
The Lafayette Library and Learning Center opened November 14, 2009 as the largest and most complex public-private partnership in Lafayette's history, combining $11.9 million in state funding with $12.5 million in community donations raised over more than a decade. Designed by Killefer Flammang Architects of Los Angeles, the 41,000-square-foot facility sits at the corner of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and First Street — a short walk from the Lafayette BART station — in a contemporary Bay Area Craftsman style with wood paralam columns and trusses, amber-gold granite, reclaimed teak siding, and photovoltaic panels above the parking lot. The library is home to the Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium, named in honor of Nobel Prize-winning chemist Glenn Seaborg who lived and died in Lafayette; the consortium is a partnership with 13 regional educational and cultural institutions — including the UC System, Lawrence Hall of Science, Oakland Museum of California, and Chabot Space & Science Center — that brings lectures, exhibits, K–12 curricula, and discovery programming year-round. A Friends Corner Book Shop and the Lafayette Historical Society occupy the building alongside the library, and the adjacent Don Tatzin Community Hall (renamed in 2018 for the mayor who served as financial architect of the project) seats 160 for theater-style events with a Steinway grand piano and full A/V.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Opened November 14, 2009 — the product of more than a decade of civic planning and $24 million in combined state and private funding
- Designed by Killefer Flammang Architects in Bay Area Craftsman style: wood paralam trusses, amber-gold granite, reclaimed teak, clerestory skylights, and rooftop photovoltaic panels
- Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium: 13-partner network with UC System, Lawrence Hall of Science, Oakland Museum, Chabot Space & Science Center, Commonwealth Club, and more
- Don Tatzin Community Hall: seats 160, Steinway grand piano, full A/V, prep kitchen — renamed 2018 for the mayor who secured the library's long-term funding
- Children's Library with stepped storytelling corner and Big Dipper circular windows; outdoor amphitheater with cast-in-place concrete seating
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Lafayette cardholders can borrow, stream, and learn free through Contra Costa County Library's digital collections:
📚 Services
- Technology and Multipurpose Lab with public computers and device charging stations
- Wi-Fi throughout the building
- Teen Center with dedicated space; SWELL Center drop-in for tweens and teens during school breaks
- Children's area with large shaded patio and stepped storytelling corner
- Homework Center with rotating art gallery (three seasonal exhibits per year)
- Meeting and study rooms available for reservation
- Don Tatzin Community Hall — 161-seat theater, Steinway piano, A/V, prep kitchen (rentable via LLLCF Foundation)
- Outdoor amphitheater with cast-in-place concrete seating
- Assistive technology: video magnifier (CCTV), hearing loop, screen readers; TTY relay at 711
- Free on-site parking (outdoor lot and two-story garage); bicycle racks at lobby and First Street entrance
- Friends Corner Book Shop (Mon–Thu 10am–6pm, Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 10am–4pm): 20,000 titles in 94 categories
- Lafayette Historical Society on-site (Tue/Thu/Sat 10am–2pm): local history collections and photographs
🎸 Programs
- Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium programs: lectures, workshops, exhibits, K–12 curricula, and discovery centers with 13 partner institutions
- Read to a Dog — children's literacy program pairing kids with therapy dogs
- Storytime and Sing Me a Storytime — weekly children's storytimes
- Senior SWELL — weekly drop-in social program (games, connections) for adults 55+
- SWELL Center — free tween and teen drop-in space during school breaks
- Rotating public art exhibitions in the Community Hall Gallery and Homework Center (three seasons: Winter, Spring, Fall)
- Music series, author lectures, film screenings, and community events in the Don Tatzin Community Hall
📍 Nearby Libraries in the Bay Area
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in Lafayette · Browse all California libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called a 'Learning Center' and not just a library?
The facility was designed from the start as more than a book repository. It is home to the Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium — named for Nobel Prize-winning chemist Glenn Seaborg, who lived and died in Lafayette — a partnership among 13 regional institutions including the UC System, Lawrence Hall of Science, Oakland Museum of California, and Chabot Space & Science Center that brings lectures, K–12 curricula, exhibits, and discovery programming into the library year-round.
How did the library get built, and who paid for it?
The project was more than a decade in the making. In November 2004, the State of California awarded $11.9 million; the community matched that with $12.5 million in private donations. Ground broke April 20, 2007 on the site of the former Veterans Memorial Building, and the library opened November 14, 2009 — the largest and most complex public-private partnership in Lafayette's history.
What is the Don Tatzin Community Hall, and can I rent it?
The 160-seat community hall adjacent to the main library was renamed in November 2018 to honor Mayor Don Tatzin, who served 33 years in Lafayette public service and secured the library's long-term funding. It features a Steinway grand piano, full A/V system, entry art gallery, and prep kitchen. It is available to rent for performances, lectures, banquets, and other events through the LLLCF Foundation at lllcf.org.
Is the library open on Sundays?
No. The Lafayette Library and Learning Center is open Monday through Thursday 10am–8pm, and Friday and Saturday 9am–5pm. It is closed on Sundays. (Contra Costa County's Self-Service Sundays pilot operates only at the Concord and San Pablo branches, not Lafayette.) Hours are verified at ccclib.org/locations/14/.
📜 This library has genealogy & local-history resources. See how library family-history research works and find other libraries with genealogy collections genealogy libraries by state.
📚 This library has study rooms. See how library study rooms work — booking, time limits and quiet vs group rooms — and find other libraries with study rooms libraries with study rooms by state.
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✓ Hours & details last verified from official sources in September 2026.