South San Francisco Library

Nice & quiet old fashion library with a view of the Sign Hill Park. Highly recommended for quite reading.

So far this library is middle of the road —
The Good:
*Generally helpful staff. I never have to wait more than a couple of moments for help.
*Great 21^st Century Internet based user-​interface, including an online catalog, automated checkout and return (mostly) and renewal and now you can hold items via the internet without a fee.
*Linked with the Peninsula Library System, so there’s plenty of available material beyond the physical walls.
The Not-​So-​Good:
*No climate control. How can a modern library tasked with archival of physical reference materials not even have basic air-​conditioning or humidity controls? Seriously, just walk in there on a reasonably warm day and you’ll know.
*Noise. The days of librarians enforcing quiet are apparently long gone. There’s not even a sign saying Shhhh! The automated checkouts make a ton of noise. Many visitors don’t seem to understand the concept of quiet in a library and the staff seems way too timid to maintain any semblance of mutual respect amongst patrons. It’s disheartening. I’m really glad I have someplace else to concentrate. it would be impossible here.
*Suspected abuse of the hold system by employees. Think you’ll have dibs on something popular just because you put it on hold? Think again. Personal experience has taught me that popular items put on hold strangely «disappear» for a few days, especially if reserved around a holiday, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas.
*Other Staff issues — If you expect honesty and accountability, it seems to be 75% good apples, 25% VERY bad apples. My last experience was this past week. I normally return materials using the automated system, but sometimes the automated return does not work. When I returned the materials at the front desk and asked for a receipt, a staff member repeatedly insisted that I was in the wrong — that there was NO POSSIBLE WAY to provide me a receipt for returned materials, (even though I seem to have no trouble getting a receipt from anyone else). My solution? I walked no more than ten feet to another staff member who returned my items and gave me the requested receipt.
*Don’t forget your library card. You’ll be treated like low-​life criminal out-​of-​town scum trying to take scandalous advantage of SSFPL and will be subject to flogging.
*Jewel Cases. Who uses them anymore besides SSFPL? Seriously, if you borrow audiobooks or CD’s from other libraries in the system, they’ve gotten smart enough not to use plastic jewel cases — they’re fragile and they damage discs. Yet somehow, SSFPL still uses them.
*Damaged Materials. Personally, I treat borrowed materials with even more respect than items I personally own. If I damaged something, I’d expect to be held accountable. That said, it’s clear that the Peninsula Library System doesn’t hold borrowers sufficiently accountable for damage done to borrowed items.
*Outdoor Automated Return. There are two automated return kiosks — One indoors, one outside. The outside one seems to be consistently buggy. I hope someone at at SSPL is holding the manufacturer/​seller accountable under warranty before the public’s stuck with a broken POS.
All in all, SSFPL has some warts, but overall it’s a reasonable library and more importantly, part of a better overall library system.

I recently visited this library again after about 4+ years of not living around the area. The staff was delightful and happy to help me with anything I needed and in this case, I needed to renew my very old library card. I noticed that when talking to the kids, they were also very attentive and would treat them with the respect that anyone deserves.
I’m glad to see that everything is as clean as it was before. I wasn’t looking for a particular book (s) when I visited but I did enjoy that they had a whole section dedicated to new books. It was extremely convenient to use the kiosks to check out rather than waiting in line for an employee to manually check you out. The kiosks were extremely fast and you don’t have to scan each book’s barcode, too!
Overall, I am extremely impressed and amazed by how much this library has changed throughout the years. Also, how they have catered to the community’s needs.
One quick downside that I would like to mention: It can get pretty noisy inside because the children section is now part of the open library. The children section used to be slightly divided and in another room.
Note: I’ve been going to this library for the past 15+ years and have seen what they have done to change the place.

I recently moved back home, and was pleasantly surprised to find that my local library has been renovated to this extent.
In truth, at first, I wasn’t sure I felt about the library’s renovations. I’ve been coming to this library since I was a child. When I was in grammar school, I even volunteered here for community service hours.
I moved away from home after high school, and haven’t seen this library in about five years.
While I do miss the personal connections I feel the old library had, as there were many more librarians staffed who were more than willing to personally assist you, I do like the way the library is headed electronically. The library now houses these cool check-​in and check-​out stations that scan your books by either a barcode or weight (or at least I think it’s by weight). No matter how many times I use these stations, I still find amusement in seeing how they work.
The library itself is clean and never crowded; there is a huge parking lot that never seems to fill more than a quarter of the way; there are lots of places to sit, read and study; and there’s free WiFi.
I also truly appreciate how you can now put a book on hold without having to pay a fee. All you have to do is go online, search for the title of the book or media you want read or watch, and place it on hold. The item doesn’t even have to be located in the SSF Library! If it’s at another library (i.e. San Mateo or Brisbane), it will be sent to the library of your choosing for pickup. You can even register online to receive an email and/​or text notifications for when your item is ready for pickup.
Additionally, if you head over towards the bathrooms, you will find a little books for sale section. Each time I come to the library, the first place I head to is here. DVDs and CDs are $ 1, small paperback books are $ 2, and large paperback books and hardcover books are $ 3. Many of the items here are in really good condition, so I’d definitely recommend checking it out.

Granted, I haven’t been inside a library since my undergrad years but I’m pleasantly surprised by how well this library has integrated with technology. I love how you can reserve items online, then quickly pick up your items and self-​checkout without having to wait in line or bother any of the friendly, helpful staff!
Beyond that, it’s a clean, quiet, comfortable library with lots of computers and space to read/​study at. They seem to offer a number of interesting programs throughout the year, but I haven’t had the opportunity to check them out yet.

This review isn’t for the library itself, but for the red blondish/​redhed rough woman with the piercings in her face! This was my first time at this library and I had put a DVD I needed for school on hold. I never used the online feature to place items on hold before. I get to the library and I find my item in the will call area. I go up to the counter and ask her ass if I found my item in the hold area am I good to go? And her smart ass had an attitude and said «Um if it has your name, then yeah…» She talked me as if I was stupid. The other librarian butted in and said no, you still have to check it out. I said ok well yeah that’s what I was asking. So to the rude ass bitch with a sarcastic attitude, make sure you know what you’re talking about before you say it!

I love the South City’s Main Library. I almost never have to wait for a computer. I like the separate section for my kids to do homework where they can discuss their work with a tutor. I also appreciate the long bank of computer available just for youths. I have really taken advantage of the lectures and other events at the Main library and my kids love the Young Adult section where they can find «their books.» It’s nice and airy. Most importantly, it has just the right mix of electronic media/​computer access and regular old books.

Great library. It’s small but never packed or crowded, so there’s almost always a table available where you can set up shop and study.
There are also electrical outlets near almost all of those tables so you can use your phone or laptop for music while you study, if you’re into that.
People are cool and mind their own business and the librarians and staff are great… Very helpful.
All in all, if you live nearby and need a place to study, why not study here? Then again I’d like to keep this place a secret from the general population so I can have it all to myself. Whoops!

Love this place (: staff is very friendly and patient! I come here a lot to print out my things.

I love this library. They have a great selection of books (including new releases), lots of computers and tables and even a coffee machine in the back! It is clean, nicely designed and I love how they are starting to have various events for the community! I went to a flower arranging demo and book signing and it was awesome. I’m going to the Feng Shui presentation soon and can’t wait. Great job SSF!

Love their auto return book system, saves so much time. They have so much books for every ages to enjoy. This library is very cleAn and big to accompany lots of readers.

Convenient because it is close to my house, but it’s not really a good place to study if you want a quiet environment — the noise levels are too high. I wish they had cubicles.
Good selection of books and DVDs though.

The only library I’ll visit since it’s so close to me… unless this library doesn’t have what I want then I’ll go to another library… BUT OTHERWISE THIS IS MY LIBRARY.
This library is located in South San Francisco and it’s pretty easy to get to. Just a simple drive down Westborough and with a right turn and then one more right turn into the parking lot, you’re here. The parking lot has a good amount of spaces so there’s no complaint there.
They recently updated their book drop area. It used to be that you just drop your books into the box and leave, but now it’s an automated machine where you have to put one item (i.e. book, disc…) and allow the machine to scan it before the conveyor belt will move. Very cool, but also very annoying. And their check out section is computer, too. Scan your library card then put up to 3 items on the scanner thing.
I usually come here just for DVDs so my knowledge of their books is very limited, but it looks like they have a decent amount of books on each subject. And if you need any help seeing if the library has the item you are looking for, there are computers located in the middle of the room that will allow you to check.
Bathrooms are located at the side entrance near the DVDs pass the scanners.
Overall, decent library. No complaining.

This review is only for one person that works at this library. I save my library card with bar-​code on my iPhone. It works perfectly fine at other locations in the peninsula. Somehow it doesn’t at this one. I asked a librarian named Kathleen to help. She was so upset. Not sure what her job function is sitting behind a bar-​code scanner but she was extremely unhappy to help me checking out the books. Worse, she rudely told me not to come back anymore if i don’t bring the actual card next time. Besides her un-​presentable look with uncombed wet hair, her attitude is quite unacceptable especially when i have my young kids with me.

When I moved to South San Francisco, one of the first things I ended up doing was sign up for a San Mateo county library card. I figured since they were charging me all that money in property tax, i should get something out of it. For a lover of reading for me, this library is pretty cool and decently close to my house.
The South San Francisco library isn’t huge and not as fancy to some other ones that I’ve been to (San Mateo), but it’s adequate for the size of the community and has a solid amount of books. About 25 – 35 computers line the main lobby of the library and they always seem to be full. I can’t really comment on wait time since I do not use the Internet or print. Overall, the selection of books and magazines are decent and i find a lot of good stuff here. Like I said, it’s not super huge so sometimes not all the books i am looking for are here.
The place is clean and the parking is ample. There is a good selection of DVDs and CD’s here. Sometimes I see people taking out 20 DVDs here at one time. All I gotta say is «DAMMMN», how many movies can you watch in 7 days?
There are a few self serve check out kiosks that I generally use since I usually have a late fee that I want to dodge hahahaha. Don’t worry, I will eventually get to paying it. One negative is that if I forget to bring my library card, they always try to sweat me if i want to use my driver’s license instead. I’ve only done it a few times though.
Overall come check it out. Reading a physical book is slowly dying. The love of reading should not…

This library has a great collection of books and a huge selection of DVDs and CDs. However, a library should be more than a place to get books and movies. A great library should also be a part of the community. It is hard to feel a sense of community here, because the staff and administration place no priority in personal connections and human interactions.
All materials must be dropped in the slots, not handed to staff, even if you’ve had past issues with materials being checked back in.
No, they cannot check out materials for you. You must use the self checkout, even if they checked out your account and it is still open on their screen.
No, you can’t check out materials without your card even though they ask for all your personal information that you could verify for them.
Maybe this is the future of libraries. But I dread the day where there are no librarians or staff and just retrieval systems and self checkouts. I wish they would fight this, (and why wouldn’t they?), and be a little more personable and community driven. A library should be a welcoming, user-​friendly place, and this place isn’t.

Love this library. After they renovated, the place is so much larger and cleaner. Like all libraries, it has free wi-​fi, and now it’s been decked out with a café and automated check-​out machines. The hours are super funky, but you can’t blame them. With budget cuts, they’re doing the best they can. This library also has a fantastic selection of DVDs, both feature films and non-​fiction ones.

I can’t complain too much about this library. There’s a large selection of books, CDs, movies, magazines, etc.
I can always find parking, but I just don’t like the layout of the parking lot. The library itself is big enough that I can find a table or chair to read or work on something. There are computers available for use if you don’t have your own computer, all you need is your library card.
If I can’t find a book at this location, I am always able to put a hold on a book and it will be sent to this location for pick-​up. With the internet these days, it’s easy to look up books prior to getting to the library. Also, the library can alert you via e-​mail when you have books close to the due date or when you have a book on hold ready for pick-​up. Though if you’re looking to read a brand, new bestseller there may be a long list of people wanting to get a hold of the book.
I really like that they have self-​service stations! It makes it so much easier to check out books. I was hoping that with more automated systems they’d be able to extend hours of the library since they now don’t need as many employees to pay.

Crashed here just looking for a quiet spot to catch a breather and check some emails. Outlets everywhere, solid free wifi connection. Not my favorite library, but it’s hard to complain about free. :)

Been here several times but never really checked-​in till recently. This is a big library for South San Francisco. I remember even going downstairs once where it looks more like a warehouse than a library.
Parking is always troublesome. They never seem to care about the problem patrons for fear of retaliation. Each year just sees more chaos.