San Rafael is hiring a consultant to help residents decide what happens to the 117-year-old Carnegie Library once it is no longer the city's main branch.

The city posted a request for proposals on Monday, Sept. 14, seeking a community engagement firm to lead a public planning process for the historic building at 1100 E St. Proposals are due Oct. 5 by 5 p.m.

The RFP is the first formal step toward deciding the Carnegie building's next chapter after San Rafael voters passed Measure P in November 2024. That 30-year parcel tax funds a new main library and community center at Albert Park. Measure P also requires the City Council to launch a public planning process for the Carnegie building within two years of passage.

Under Measure P's terms, the building's future use must be civic, community or community-serving commercial. No decisions have been made yet, according to the city's Measure P FAQ page.

The consultant hired through this RFP will design and run the community engagement process. Public input sessions are expected to begin in winter or spring 2027, according to the city's posting. Interviews with finalist firms are tentatively set for mid-October.

Daniel Avalos, the city's assistant library and recreation director, is the point of contact. Firms can submit questions and proposals by email to [email protected].

The Carnegie Library has anchored downtown San Rafael since Jan. 9, 1909, when the Classical Revival building designed by the Reid Brothers opened with funding from a $25,000 Andrew Carnegie grant. A 6,000-square-foot addition in 1960 more than doubled its size. The city reopened the building in August 2025 after extensive renovations that included restoring the original reading room.

The original deed restricted the property to library use only, but those restrictions expired in 1987 and are no longer enforceable under California law, according to the city.

Joe O'Hehir, a San Rafael Public Library Foundation board member and chair of the Measure P initiative committee, said in November 2024 that he hoped the vote would let the city move forward. He told the Marin Independent Journal the measure could "finally be able to take the next step toward building a 21st century library and community center in the downtown area."

Before the November 2024 vote, city staff estimated the parcel tax could generate roughly $88.2 million in bonding capacity for the new Albert Park facility, according to the Marin Independent Journal.

Residents who want to follow the Carnegie reuse process can watch for interviews with finalist firms in mid-October.