Bernal Heights Branch Library

Lazy librarians did not want to take new books as donations gave me some goodwill drop off point. So I went to west portal library very nice were very happy to take books. Gals working in cortland library just did not want to do extra work lazy young gals that were working January 5 2016 around 2 pm visit

Tucked away on a charming street in Bernal Heights you will find the Bernal Heights Branch Library.
It’s a small library not unlike many other branches in SF. It’s clean, organized and the people were friendly enough.
They had the book I was looking for and their catalogue seemed to be up to date. Too many times I’ve journeyed across the city for a specific book only to discover it’s been checked out or missing. Bernal Heights didn’t disappoint.
The hours at this branch are a little odd however. They didn’t open till 1:00pm the day I went.

They remodeled it so everything is updated
They have a teen area
Check out area
Childrens room
A laptop and i pad kiosk
It is usually quiet
Lots of moms come here with their kids

Love the children’s books section in particular!

My first time at this library and I loooove it! Kind of small, but it’s pretty empty at 6pm on a Tuesday. Came here just to study and to pick up a book that I need for class. They have outlets around every lamp on the long tables on the middle of the room but the lighting is reallllly dim.
Wasn’t hard at all to find parking!

Open hours are a joke. Opening at 1pm on W, F, Sat and closed Sun– are you kidding?
A few staff members are rude as well.
This branch is not living up its potential, nor the expectations of tax payers.
SFPL –please trim this staff, weed out rude and unhelpful members, open up budget for sensible hours instead (e.g., F, Sat 10am open to start).

Nice spot for a library and a good way for anyone to educate themselves outside the classroom. Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center is right across the street from here.
I’ll definitely make a stop here to borrow or find a book to read when I’m in this area!
Edit from 04/​15/​2014:
The staff member who helped with my checkout was very friendly. It’s not too busy when I came in. Clean, spacious facility and a nice spot for a library.

A nice little library. The children’s area is a friendly place and they always have different things going on, especially in the summer.

I love having them around. It’s a smaller branch, but what’s great is that you can request a book from any of the SF PLs and pick it up at your local branch. One complaint with this branch is that I’ve sprinted up the hill home from work before, only to get the door shut in my face at 5:58 when they close at 6 and I was just hoping to run in and out really quickly. That was frustrating. Other than that, it’s great and I’m a fan of their new mural.

SF has great libraries and this is one of the nicer ones.
Big tables for work, fairly quiet, spots to read, lot’s of sunlight and nice people. There’s a playground out back and a rec center adjacent. Like all libraries, you can put items on hold and have them delivered to your local branch. Pretty much everything you’d want out of a library.

I love this San Francisco Public library cozy branch.
It could not be more welcoming and homie. It is a great spot also to bring your kids and friends and read all together.
Service is also impeccable! Older lady in the kid’s section downstairs has always been helpful and very pleasant.
I love walking here on late afternoons and do homework or spend time reading :)

This is the most adorable little library which makes us proud to live in Bernal. Great kids section and plenty of areas for kids and adults to curl up and read. Get your card today!

am i really reviewing the library? yes! because it is awesome!
i guess i’ve grown up with underfunded, poorly lit, kinda run down libraries. but the bernal heights branch is how i imagined a library should be. it’s clearly been renovated. and now there are lovely leather chairs, teal no less! lovely lighting! cozy and yet plenty of places to sit! this little library is full of magazines, dvds, cds, and of course, books. ah, books.
but the ceiling is the most beautiful part of this library.
seriously, why do people prefer to read on a little hand held screen when you can have the pleasure of reading a book in a lovely library? and you can even take that book home!
i worry for libraries! i had a young friend (really he wasn’t that young, early 20’s. old enuf to know about a library in my opinion!) who saw me with a stack of books and cds from the library. he asked where i got them, i told him, the library. he said, they let you have them for free?
i kid you not.
go get some books for free.

They really did a good job with the renovation. As others have said, the historic design is well-​preserved, but everything’s been upgraded.
There’s a beautiful wide new staircase that leads downstairs where the front desk used to be. It’s a children’s wonderland down there now, with the books, the access to the very popular (but not renovated in this generation) playground out back, and often special events in the smaller-​than-​before conference room.
For adults, there’s certainly enough to browse, but one of the great things about the library system is that you can find books you want online and have them brought to your local branch.
Love the self-​checkout kiosks. What a great upgrade to the neighborhood!

Love Libraries period.
This branch is so well maintained with interesting details preserved and cared for. I like to come here and work when I need just a little diversion from being at home.

Quiet. Friendly staff. Limited selection.
I stopped in here to kill some time before heading to an event nearby. This place is beautiful! From what I understand, it has been remodeled very recently. It looks brand new. They carry a lot of dvd’s, but unfortunately not a whole lot of books, although most of the books look very new as well. They are also mostly hardcovers, the paperback selection is pretty small. There is also plenty of computers set up. Downstairs, there is a very clean bathroom, a community room, and a dedicated children’s section.
I was helped out with renewing my library card by a very friendly lady at the front desk (apparently when I got my card, they expired after only two years, and now its four).
If I lived nearby and needed a quiet place to study or do some research, this would be perfect.

It’s really nice to have a library back in the neighborhood, but the book collection is really limited. I pretty much only use the Bernal branch as a conduit for Link+ and other book holds since there is so little on the shelves in any category. The children’s section seems really nice, though I’m not sure I can see why there are sooo many copies of Harry Potter when you could steer an inquiring mind to a better book by making them wait for the popular books.
My main criticisms of the library are: 1) They have a huge video section at the expense of more and better books, and they’re not even rare videos, documentary, or even the hard to find variety. I’ve little doubt I could rent everything in their collection down the block at the local video store. 2) I have never been to a library with staff so unwilling to help their customers. They are short, curt, won’t even look at you, and are very hard to lure away from whatever task is possessing them when you need assistance.
Maybe I’ll give the library more stars when my kids are old enough to use the children’s section, but for now I’ll use the Bernal branch as a place to pick up and drop off library books I’ve requested online and employ the other branches for expert help and an actual selection of books, rather than video.

Oooohhhh, nice and new and shiny and clean, but still cute and charming.
Main floor: Lots of tables and comfy seating areas. I like that there’s ample aisle space between the shelves to easily browse. Great natural light coming in as well.
Lower floor: Mostly children’s section. I think there’s also some sort of meeting/​screening room. From this level, you can exit straight out to the playground in back.
Hooray for public libraries!

From the exterior, it’s hard to tell that the branch has been renovated. There’s a new ramp, and a new bookdrop, but beyond that, it’s same-​o same-​o. What gives it the old branch feel is the artwork/​mural that’s on the outside wall. It’s a bit worn and cracked, and I’m guessing that they haven’t touched the exterior because of possible historical reasons (do we paint over it, or do we touch it up? etc)
The inside is very very nice. I love how the older libraries are being retrofitted to bring out their former beauty. Gone are fluorescent light tubes encased in rectangular steel boxes. In are the new «globe» style lights that give the place a homey atmosphere. I love how West Portal branch turned out, and after seeing Anza (with it’s boxy fluorescent fixtures) I think Bernal turned out great. Can’t wait to see how Anza looks when it gets remodeled.
Four Stars. Nice adult area, thin on magazines (naturally) but it will begin to fill out in the coming months as new magazines arrive, and the childrens room is quite nice. –1 Star because I feel like the adult room could have more power outlets available at the reading tables. Perhaps they plan to modify the tables at a later date to install power outlets. Those are heavily used at all of the renovated branches, so I was surprised to see they are not as abundant here. The children’s room seems to have plenty of outlets but I’m sure adults have a more pressing need.
Then again, I do not know how many people use power outlets at this branch, so perhaps docking the star is a bit harsh.
Final words: Libraries are a cheap (free) source of knowledge and entertainment. Movies, music, books, magazines… There’s soo much all for the taking. Especially when the economy is in a slump, skip the movies, come down the library and go home with 10 DVD’s instead!

2006: Bucky joins Unilocal to the acclaim of his peers and the cheers of readers everywhere. Promptly he reviews bars and all around cool spots where only cool people such as himself hang out.
2010: Bucky reviews a newly renovated library that has a playground out back where you have to have a kid in order to swing from the monkeybars. Yea for no pederasts!
Here’s the dope. A cool 6 mil of your tax dollars just brought my neighborhood biblioteca up to snuff. Lots of room to sit. Lots of room to read. Lots of room. Period. I dug the new kid’s area where readings throughout the week are going down.
On my last visit, I kicked it like the badass I am in the screening room while local indie filmmakers screened their shorts. Way to bring it all together Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema & Bernal Heights Public Library!
Post haste and in summation, I step out of my paradigm and salute you, the taxpayer!
I got more stories than JD’s got Salinger…