Across from the main gate of Lake Wildwood in the Wildwood Business Center, the Penn Valley Station sits among other storefronts. The Station, as it's called, opened in March 2002 as a result of increased revenue from the Measure B sales tax initiative.

It's a bit unusual in at least one regard: The county uses leased space for the operation rather than a facility owned by the county or city.

The smallest library facility in the country, Penn Valley is a study in miniature. There is space to sit and read and an area with computers. The collection includes books, audio books, magazines and DVDs and videos. As with all of the branches, patrons can request materials from any of the other county libraries to be delivered to this one for free; also materials can be requested from other library systems in the country through the Interlibrary Loan program for a small fee. Both options really expand the number of materials anyone in the county can access.

In a back room, The Friends of the Nevada County Libraries runs a used-book sale to raise money to benefit the county Libraries. The Friends raise thousands of dollars every year from these sales, which take place all over the county. Donations of books, audio books, and DVDs are accepted by the Friends at this and all branches.

Recently, the library used a grant from the California State Library through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to upgraded public Internet connectivity. Concurrently, Wi-Fi capability was added for library users.

In April 2010, the Penn Valley Chamber of Commerce joined the library in sharing its cozy storefront space. The chamber is open from 10 am to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday. This county-chamber collaboration is proving to be a benefit to library users, business leaders, visitors and community members by cutting rental costs and increasing service hours.

If you live in the area or are just visiting the neighborhood, Penn Valley Library Station invites you to visit and see what it has to offer.