The coordinates are for the center of the circular South Plaza near the intersection of Golden Gate Way and First Street.
Each of the 26 community libraries that comprise the Contra Costa County Library has its own hours, so you will need to consult ccclib.org for the operating hours for this branch. This branch normally is open every day of the week.
Officially, this is the Lafayette Library and Learning Center (LLLC). The Lafayette Library opened as a County Library branch in 1915 in a corner of the Lafayette Post Office. The library moved into a new building in 1962, and into its current location as the LLLC in 2009.
The purpose of this multi is to acquaint you with some of the interesting and unique features of this facility.
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Before you approach and enter the library proper, find the entrance to the Lafayette Historical Society along Golden Gate Way. Immediately to the right of the entrance to the Society is a large display window, behind which are some historical artifacts, most notably “Ol’ Betsy,” a vintage Model T fire truck.
This vehicle has an interesting license plate number.
C is the smaller of the two different digits appearing on the license plate. If you view the license plate while standing on your head, you should get the same result.
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As you walk up the wide staircase from South Plaza at the Golden Gate Way/First Street intersection into the trellised Reading Court, at the end of the trellis area you should see a metal plaque on a south-facing wall, entitled “RESOURCE CONSERVATION.” The logos for the LLLC and EBMUD appear at the bottom of this plaque. The plaque highlights some of the features of the buildings at the LLLC that promote energy conservation.
One feature is the use of a certain type of reclaimed wood for the siding on the building’s exterior. See photo in gallery.
A is the number of letters in the specific type of recycled wood.
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Enter the library on the upper level and take stock of the layout. Public art from the City of Lafayette Public Art Collection is displayed throughout the library. A brochure entitled “Lafayette Library and Learning Center’s Public Art” may be available for use in the library at the Information Desk. Although this brochure is out of print a copy is kept in a binder at the Information Desk. This brochure includes a diagram showing where individual pieces of art are in the library by number. The numbers exist only in the brochure; they do not appear with the art.
In a couple of instances, the displayed art differs in detail from the representation in the brochure. To complete this multi successfully, you will have to rely on what you observe on the walls. In the event the brochure is not available, I have amended the following to indicate where in the library the art can be found.
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Find the three, framed, letterpress monoprints by Laurie Szujewska (#8 in the brochure; on the west wall in the Children's Area). Each is a representation of “Noisy Silence.”
E is the digit in the name of the middle Noisy Silence print.
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Find “Puzzle Pieces” by Sita Rupe (#12 in the brochure; along the south wall of the main floor with the tall floor to ceiling windows).
B is the number of columns of tiles minus the number of rows of tiles.
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Just to the right of the Information Desk is a small lithograph portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette. There are two, small information signs below the reproduction.
D is the number of letters in the first name of the Marquis. (Marquis is NOT a first name!)
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The LLLC is also the home of the Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium. The Consortium is a collaboration among several Bay Area educational and cultural organizations, and offers several types of learning activities for the community. Just inside the main lobby entrance there is a portrait of Glenn Seaborg (#1 in the brochure). To the right of the portrait is a short history of his contributions to science and humanity.
As a world-renowned chemist, Professor Seaborg participated in the discovery of several synthetic elements. The element Seaborgium (Sg) was named in his honor.
F is last digit in the atomic number for Seaborgium.
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An interim waypoint is at the following coordinates. There, you should find a "container" with the final coordinates for this geocache and a hint:
N 37 53. ___ ___ ___ W 122 06. ___ ___ ___
A B C D E F
Because GPS reception may be “iffy” at the interim waypoint, you should look for "110159135". The container is about head-high if you're over 6 feet tall.
The interim waypoint and the final are on the Lafayette Moraga Trial. The walking distance is about 750 meters from the LLLC. You may find parking close to the Trail near Moki’s Rest Stop (GC1J0F4).
While you’re on the Trail, you should not miss visiting Birdhouse (GC15W3P) if you have not already done so.