The shelves speak volumes at the Murrieta Public Library.

Since it opened a year ago, the number of books available at the city-run library has more than quadrupled to nearly 14,600 tomes.

During that same time, patrons have borrowed materials more than 66,900 times, two thirds of it coming from the children's section, City Librarian Diane Alter said.

"You walk in and it looks like we have nothing," Alter said of the bare metal shelves in parts of the library. "That's because they (the books) are constantly checked out."

The library celebrates its first anniversary Monday, which kicks off a week-long open house to coincide with National Library Week. The library is in a leased bank building at 39589 Los Alamos Road, just east of Interstate 215.

Alter said she has worked to expand the library's collection since the opening, and to launch community programs.

About 500 area children enrolled this year in the library's first Summer Reading Program. The library also plans to hold its second six-week story-time sessions for 3- to 5-year-old children later this month.

Residents at the library on a recent morning expressed pleasure with the results.

"It's a wonderful little library," Meredith Sole-March of Murrieta said. "I realize that it takes time to build up (a collection) but they already have a nice selection."

Janice Sutton, who stopped by with her daughters, agreed.

"It's so close," the Murrieta mother said. "We just love it."

Alter credits much of the library's success to volunteers who spend hours helping the staff and to the Friends of the Murrieta Library, which continues to raise money through its used bookstore in the same shopping center.

The bookstore is open Monday through Thursday and on Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Robert Ross, president of the group, said the organization wants to accelerate city plans to build a larger library at the planned Murrieta Town Square, a 34-acre future civic center at Kalmia Street and Jefferson Avenue.

"Our goal is to have a permanent library," Ross said. "Diane is just doing a superb job and we are just going to grow more than we have room for."

To help fund the construction, Alter said the city will seek funds from Prop. 14, the bond initiative voters approved last month that provides $350 million for libraries statewide.

During the coming year, Alter said she will continue efforts to add to the library's collection, which she estimates could double and still fit into the small building.

When Murrieta incorporated in 1991, the nearest library was the Riverside County-run facility in Temecula. Sparked by a drive by a handful of residents, the City Council withdrew Murrieta from the county system in 1998 to open its own facility.

Michael Fisher can be reached by e-mail at mfisher@pe.com or by phone at (909) 587-3139.

Published 4/8/2000