Kensington Library Closed Until 2028: Sunday Library Options
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
Where do you return a library book in Kensington on a Sunday afternoon this fall? You can't do it at the Kensington branch. Contra Costa County Library closed it on Friday, July 24, 2026, and the current estimate for reopening is February 2028. The book drop is locked for the whole closure.
The county has an official answer for where to go. On the days that answer doesn't cover, the next-best options are in Alameda County, and you can get a card for each of them free.
The county's plan is simple. Its closure notice tells Kensington patrons to use the El Cerrito Library for borrowing and picking up holds. Any holds still waiting at Kensington on July 23 were moved to El Cerrito automatically. New holds can go to any branch you choose. The county also names San Pablo as a nearby option, and digital books and streaming are available 24/7. Returns can go to any other Contra Costa County Library location.
El Cerrito Library is at 6510 Stockton Avenue. The county's location page lists these hours: Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed Sunday and Monday. That listing has no effective date, so check it before a special trip.
That covers five days. The two missing days include Sunday, which is also when the Kensington Farmers' Market runs at Colusa Circle, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For now, no Contra Costa County branch near Kensington is open on Sunday.
Two neighboring systems in Alameda County let Kensington households sign up at no cost.
Berkeley Public Library cards are free to any California resident and work at all five Berkeley locations. That includes the North Branch at 1170 The Alameda. Alameda County Library cards are also free to anyone who lives, works or goes to school in California. If you live outside Alameda County, you can start with a temporary eCard and convert it to a full card in person or by mail. Contra Costa is one of the counties that qualifies. Albany Library, at 1247 Marin Avenue, is part of that system.
With all three branches together, every day of the week has at least one open library:
| Day | El Cerrito Library | Berkeley North Branch | Albany Library |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Closed | 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | Noon–6 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 10 a.m.–8 p.m. | 10 a.m.–8 p.m. | Noon–8 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 10 a.m.–8 p.m. | 10 a.m.–8 p.m. | Noon–8 p.m. |
| Thursday | 10 a.m.–8 p.m. | Noon–8 p.m. | 10 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| Friday | 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | Closed |
| Saturday | 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. |
| Sunday | Closed | 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | 1–5 p.m. |
The North Branch lists regular hours on all seven days, with evening hours Tuesday through Thursday. Its page also shows a live open-or-closed status, so check that before you go. On Sundays and Mondays, it and Albany are the only open libraries of the three. On Fridays, when Albany is closed, El Cerrito opens earliest. Using all three means carrying three cards, and each card keeps its own holds and due dates.
Families with young children feel this most, because storytime is now spread across three branches and three weekdays.
Halloween adds two dates near home. Colusa Circle's Halloween Harvest is Sunday, October 25. The children's costume parade gathers at 10:45 a.m. at the Oak View Avenue entrance to the market and steps off at 11. Six days later, Albany Library holds a Halloween Storytime on Saturday, October 31, from 10:30 to 11 a.m.
The county's closure notices send Kensington patrons to other branches. Its pickup-locker program lists service in Rossmoor and North Richmond.
El Cerrito Library is the county's designated stand-in, and the city is still deciding what that library should become.
In June, a citizens' initiative called Measure C asked El Cerrito voters for a parcel tax. It would have paid for planning, building and furnishing a new library, plus its first ten years of operating costs. In the June 2, 2026 primary, it failed with 3,264 yes votes and 7,475 no votes, about 30.4 percent in favor.
The question is still active. Back in February 2026, the El Cerrito City Council had formed a Library Task Force to advise on "a new or updated library." The council interviewed applicants on July 14, and members serve through July 15, 2027. The task force held its first meeting September 8, 2026. That means El Cerrito will be talking about its own library's future for most of the time Kensington's branch is closed. Nothing in El Cerrito's published plans shows any change to the Stockton Avenue building during that time. Following the task force's meetings is the easiest way to see whether that changes.
The Friends of the Kensington Library have paused book sales and are not taking book donations during the closure. They are still taking memberships and money donations. If you have a box of books for the Friends, plan to hold onto it.
The Kensington Book Group is meeting monthly on Zoom during the rebuild. The next meeting is October 27 at 6:15 p.m., on Villette. The group's contact address is [email protected]. The October Outlook mentions a 2027 reopening. The county's current estimate is February 2028.
The library's announcement calls the project a $5.3 million renovation of a building more than 60 years old, closed for at least 18 months. The Board of Supervisors approved the closure on May 19, 2026. The county staff report estimated construction at $4,970,715. Of that, $1,480,774, or 30 percent, comes from Measure X, and $3,489,941 comes from the Library Fund. The two documents may be measuring costs differently, which could explain why the totals don't match. Measure X is the countywide half-cent sales tax voters approved in 2020.
When the branch reopens, it will have:
The Board's project description also lists fire-alarm and sprinkler work and accessible parking. For questions about your account until then, Contra Costa County Library's help line is (800) 984-4636.
Tracy Zhou is based in Berkeley and works across this corner of the East Bay, and she keeps track of local changes like this branch closure, from the El Cerrito task force meetings to the 2028 reopening. If you'd like to talk about how a closure like this fits into your plans in Kensington, in English, Mandarin or Cantonese, ggsir.com is here. Let's Connect.
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