Mayor London N. Breed and City Librarian Michael Lambert announced that San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) will reopen 11 neighborhood branches for full in-person service by August 17, beginning August 3 with the Park and West Portal locations. After the Labor Day holiday, the Main Library will also resume its pre-pandemic hours, providing evening service three days a week.

August 3 marks the final wave of reopenings after the Library closed all locations for indoor service in March 2020, during which time hundreds of SFPL employees were deployed as Disaster Service Workers (DSW) supporting the City’s COVID-19 response, and 10 neighborhood library branches served as community hubs to assist the City’s most vulnerable youth with distance learning.

“I am excited to announce that our neighborhood libraries are reopening for in-person service,” said Breed. “Like so many City services, our libraries were hit hard by the pandemic with staff forced to find innovative ways to continue serving our communities. I want to thank the San Francisco Public Library staff for supporting our city through this challenging time and their commitment to keeping our libraries operating and accessible.”

Masks are required at all SFPL locations.

SFPL has 28 locations, one of which, the Mission Branch Library, is closed for renovation. Also reopening this month are: Ingleside, North Beach, and Sunset (August 9); Anza, Marina, Portola and Potrero (August 10); Golden Gate Valley (August 16) and lastly, Merced (August 17). While the Mission Branch is closed for renovation, the Library is establishing a temporary location to serve Mission District residents. Patrons can check out books from the Bookmobile at Harrison and 20th streets, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-6:00 p.m.

Detailed information for hours and locations can be found at sfpl.org/reopening.

Although most library staff have returned to their primary roles after serving as Disaster Service Workers, staffing levels remain too low to resume pre-pandemic hours at the neighborhood branch libraries due to a large number of vacancies. Likewise, in-person public programs such as storytimes and author talks will be phased in as staffing allows.

“We said we would get it done by the time school starts, and we are keeping to that promise,” said Lambert. “I want to thank the public for their ongoing patience and support during this time. We are incredibly excited to welcome you back through our doors, and we look forward to reintroducing in-person public programs in the weeks to follow.”

The Main Library returns to pre-pandemic hours the day after Labor Day on September 7, providing more service after work and school hours. The Main Library will offer service until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and until 6:00 p.m. on other days, and it will also open at 9:00 a.m. Monday through Thursday to serve morning patrons.

As part of the City’s Summer Together initiative, SFPL is giving away 10 books to all San Francisco Unified School District students. Students and caregivers can pick up their book bundles at any location. Additionally, the Library’s Summer Stride program is in full swing with programs for all ages. Individuals who complete 20 hours of Library activity (reading, attending an event, and visiting a library all count) can earn prizes and a coveted 2021 Summer Stride tote bag with original artwork by Bay Area artist Kaylani Juanita. Summer Stride and the Summer Together book pickup officially end on September 12. More details at sfpl.org/summerstride.  

 This report is courtesy of the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Communications.

Isabelle Price

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