Building Overview
The Herold Mahoney Library is located on the Petaluma Campus. Considered to be one of the most technologically advanced libraries in Sonoma County, it is also the architectural and cultural heart of the campus.
At 35,000 square feet, Mahoney Library incorporates the latest information resources, learning environments, and technology, the building offers:
- 300 reader seats
- more than 50 computer workstations
- 8 group study areas
- a quiet study room (the Connie Mahoney Reading Room)
- a 28-station teaching lab
- a full scope Media Services Department
- a conference and meeting room with video conferencing capability
- a digital copy and print center
History
The original Mahoney Library was built at SRJC's Petaluma Center, which was opened in fall 1995. With the Center's rapid growth, it officially became SRJC's Petaluma Campus in April 1999. As the Petaluma Campus continued to grow, the Mahoney Library outgrew the space it occupied. In the 2000s, the Petaluma Campus was expanded, including construction of a beautiful new Mahoney Library, which was dedicated in fall 2008.
About Herold Mahoney
Herold Mahoney was an SRJC graduate, a member of the SRJC Board of Trustees, and a local businessman. Mr. Mahoney graduated from Santa Rosa Junior College in 1932, after serving as President of the Associated Students. He continued on to the University of California at Berkeley where he received a bachelor's degree in business administration. Following graduation, he worked for Union Oil Company and served in the U.S. Navy, eventually returning to Petaluma to start his own business. In addition to serving on local school boards, Mr. Mahoney served as a member of SRJC's Board of Trustees for 10 years. In recognition of his service to the College and the community, the library on SRJC's new Petaluma Campus, opened in 1995, was named after Herold Mahoney. Mr. Mahoney died on November 21, 1999.
Connie Mahoney Reading Room
In 2007, Connie Mahoney was awarded the President’s Medallion for her steady support of SRJC, and the Mahoney Library’s reading room is named after Connie Mahoney to honor her tireless and generous contributions to education. Connie Mahoney died on Aug. 2, 2016. She was 97. Read more about Connie Mahoney and her contributions to the Petaluma campus and SRJC.
Building Occupants
- First Floor - Circulation Desk, Research Desk, Library Classroom, Group Study Rooms, Connie Mahoney Reading Room, Gallery, Media Services
- Second Floor - Administrative Offices, Quiet Study Room, Conference Room, Group Study Rooms
Bones Exhibit at Mahoney Library
Ever wonder about the giant giraffe on display at Mahoney Library? That happens to be "Fresno the Giraffe" who lived right here in Sonoma County for much of his life. From the Press Democrat: "The skeleton of a 17-foot-tall giraffe that in life pleased visitors at Safari West preserve has been rebuilt at the Petaluma campus of Santa Rosa Junior College." Fresno was constructed by beloved SRJC Biology Instructor, Nick Anast and his students. The class also rearticulated the skeletons of several other animals that are on display at the library.
