One of the most available items in the Newport Beach Public Library catalog is a vehicle hangtag. The catalog record lists it as a California State Library Parks Pass, a day-use pass, and on October 26 it showed 53 copies available and zero holds across the Central, Mariners and Corona del Mar branches.
That hangtag shows what the card has become. For the city's 120th anniversary, the library published a list called "120 Years. 120 Things. One powerful library card," and much of it has nothing to do with reading. It covers cameras, music gear, telescopes, a recording studio, park entry, passport appointments and a full evening lecture series. This year the system's map also changed, so more of that value now runs through one building on Avocado Avenue.
A park pass on the library shelf
According to California State Parks, the pass admits one passenger vehicle seating nine or fewer, or one highway-licensed motorcycle, at more than 200 participating state park units. Any California public library cardholder can borrow it through their local library. The California State Library has run the program since it launched in April 2022. The Newport Beach list pairs the pass with one nearby suggestion, number 69: "Borrow a California State Library Parks Pass and visit Crystal Cove."
The pass covers day-use vehicle entry and nothing more. State Parks says it does not cover:
- Federal, local or private parks
- Per-person or tour fees
- Camping, boats or group use
- Special events, extra-vehicle charges or supplemental fees
Each local library sets its own checkout period. Check the loan terms when you place the hold, and pick the branch you'd rather drive to for pickup.
Cameras, turntables and a telescope
The equipment list reads like a small rental shop. Adult cardholders can borrow a GoPro, a Canon Rebel camera, a drum machine, a keyboard, a turntable, an AKAI MPK Mini, a drawing tablet, a tripod, a recording bundle, a mobile hotspot, a power bank, an external disc drive and a portable stereo CD player. The children's section adds:
- A kid-friendly DJ mixer
- A microscope or binoculars
- Walkie-talkies "for screen-free family adventures"
- A telescope for backyard stargazing
- A retro game console and video games
- Free seeds for flowers, fruits, herbs or vegetables
The limits are generous. A card can hold 50 items at once, with smaller caps by category: 10 audio items, 10 DVDs or Blu-rays, three video games, and two items in a category the library calls Tech Toys. Patrons can place up to 50 holds online, by phone or at a desk, and choose a pickup location for each. The card is free to California residents with ID. Out-of-state patrons pay $10, and applicants under 18 need a parent's signature.
Borrowed gear pairs naturally with a space downstairs at Central. The Media Lab on the lower level has Macs and PCs with creative software, AutoCAD, scanners, converters for analog media, and a Sound Lab for music, podcasts and voice recording. You can walk in or reserve a station online or at the desk. If you have a box of old family tapes, you can digitize them here, and the GoPro footage from a weekend at Crystal Cove can be edited in the same building.
The digital services on the list include Kanopy, Libby, ComicsPlus, Flipster, LinkedIn Learning, Rosetta Stone, Consumer Reports, NewsBank, ProQuest, Britannica School and Gale databases.
"I think I like to say that we're in the community for the community, and this is a public benefit that's free."
That is Library Services Director Melissa Hartson, speaking to the Daily Pilot about the list. The same report said the branches together lent about 1.2 million items and logged more than 715,000 visits last year.
Why Avocado Avenue carries more of the load this year
The Balboa Branch closed March 1, 2026, to be replaced along with Fire Station No. 1. To keep fire service running during demolition and construction, the City built a temporary Fire Station No. 1 in the East Ocean Front Parking Lot at 711 E. Ocean Front. The Daily Pilot covered the March 24 groundbreaking and reported an estimated 18-month rebuild, with completion expected by September 2027.
Until then, the Peninsula's library stop is Marina Park at 1600 West Balboa Boulevard, where the library offers book drop-off and holds pickup. Preschool storytime moved to the Marina Park Community Center on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. The library also has materials available for pickup at the Oasis Senior Center and the Newport Coast Community Center, through a partnership with Recreation and Senior Services.
| Location | Address | Hours | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Library | 1000 Avocado Ave. | Mon–Thu 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri–Sat 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun noon–5 p.m. | Media Lab, Sound Lab, passport appointments, Parks Pass |
| Crean Mariners | 1300 Irvine Ave. | Same as Central | Joint-use building with school-day access limits; Parks Pass |
| Corona del Mar | 410 Marigold Ave. | Mon–Sat 9 a.m.–6 p.m., closed Sun | Parks Pass |
| Balboa | Closed for replacement | Estimated completion September 2027 | Holds and returns at Marina Park |
At Crean Mariners, the public part of the building shares space with a school library. During the school day, staff retrieve items from the school side instead of patrons browsing it. With Balboa closed, Central is the only building that holds the Media Lab, the passport desk and Witte Lecture Hall next door, and it stays open until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Witte Hall, the city's evening lecture room
The building next to Central, Witte Lecture Hall, hosts most of the library's November highlights. Some are ticketed through the Library Foundation of Newport Beach, and others are free.
| Date | Program | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov. 5, 7 p.m. | Library Live: Susan Orlean | Witte Lecture Hall; individual tickets listed at $40; box office closes 2 p.m. on event day |
| Sun, Nov. 8, 3 p.m. | Sunday Musicale: Webern String Quartet | Free, ages 12 and up, first-come, first-served |
| Tue, Nov. 10 | Book Discussion Group | Free, no reservation, open whether or not you read the book |
| Sat, Nov. 14, 3 p.m. | Creative Pages: Kelly Yang | Witte Lecture Hall; ages 8–11 and families; registration required |
| Wed, Nov. 18, 7 p.m. | Spotlight on Science: Earth 2.0 | UCI's Paul Robertson; free with registration, limited seating; doors 6:30 p.m. |
Susan Orlean speaks tonight. If you're reading this on the morning of November 5, you have until 2 p.m. to reach the box office. The full title of Robertson's talk is "Earth 2.0: How to Find it, Why We May Already Have, and What's Next." Smaller recurring programs fill the rest of the month across the branches, including Toy Trains Playtime at Corona del Mar, Brick Builders Block Party at Mariners and Central, BARK reading-to-a-dog sessions, and a UC Master Gardeners program at Mariners on November 21.
Plan around the holiday closures. The calendar shows the library closed November 11, closing at 6 p.m. on November 25, and closed November 26 and 27. December brings Festival Ballet's Nutcracker for Kids on December 5, a Corona del Mar Holiday Open House, and the Seraphour Vocal Quartet's holiday musicale on December 6.
The services that skip the card entirely
The last section of the list covers what the library offers to anyone who walks in. You don't need a card to register for adult programs, attend weekly Storytime, browse Central's rotating art gallery, get free English tutoring through PAL, search microfilm and local records, use copying, scanning and printing, book test proctoring, or volunteer.
Passport applications fall in the same group, and they take some planning. Central handles them by appointment only, Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and appointments open 14 days ahead. The library does not process DS-82 renewals, and its passport page lists the forms, ID, citizenship evidence, photo and two payments applicants need to bring.
The anniversary piece with a deadline this month belongs to younger residents. The City's 2026 Student Art Exhibition takes one original work per student, pre-K through 12th grade, on the theme "Newport Beach: Celebrate 120 years!" Entries are dropped off in person at Central Library through November 30. Accepted work will hang on Central's first floor from January 4 to February 24, 2027, and winners will be invited to an award ceremony in early February.
If you'd like to talk about the neighborhoods around Central, Mariners, Corona del Mar or the Peninsula as the Balboa rebuild moves toward completion, Gregory Schnitzer is glad to share what he's seeing. Let's Connect.
