Western Addition Branch Library

Books for the people.
Free print, paper, pulp fictions.
Suck on that, Bezos.

This was the first SF-​card I got when I moved up here. I love this library. A lot of great books and usually pretty quiet and clean. Plus they have a nice outdoor area you can read in. They also have DVDs! Downside is that some days they don’t open until 1PM.

I love to read. I have some valuable plastic in my pocketbook, but by far my Library Card is the only one I brag about and use most often. I am happy the library was given a much needed face-​lift in the recent past. I love that it’s a nice walk from my home. Saves me a bundle when it comes to dvd’s, cd’s and the latest book I want to get lost in. The only complaints I have are the short hours and the lack of order and silence which are necessary are synonymous with a library. The staff is very helpful, that is a rarity these days. Reading is FUN-​damental, as the old PSA’s once said.

Small nice library. Always seems full but great mix of folks. Helpful staff. Nice patio so you can sit outside and read.

I don’t know what all this fuss about Amazon Prime is. With the SFPL, I, too, can open a browser window, type in a book title, and have it delivered to a location near me (Western Addition Branch, in my case) within days. Here’s the kicker, though — membership is free (no $ 79/​year), and so are the books!
Our little corner of the SFPL world is pretty great, with an ample supply of useful, timely books (I found an HTML 5 book on the shelf in early 2011), including a fairly large Japanese selection, and more DVDs than you can shake a stick at.
The hold system is where it’s at, though. Find the book on
, reserve it, and within days (or weeks if it’s popular) you get an email saying it’s waiting for you at your local branch. Woo.

So many tables for a small library but SO MANY PEOPLE, why are all the seats taken? if you wait a while, someone will get up and then you can scoot yourself down. i wouldnt say it’s a quiet library. the noise level was pretty up there, maybe from all the keyboard typing. yes that’s got to be it. it’s also stuffy.
but lots of books and CLEAN.
i am SO glad SF renovated their libraries and got new books for the residents. thank you. that’s what people deserve.

This library has super fast internet! And some nice sunny spots to sit outside.

I love love love the Public Library. The Western Addition location is definitely a smaller branch, but provides a nice quiet respite from a busy city.
Their mission statement pretty much says it all, «The San Francisco Public Library system is dedicated to free and equal access to information, knowledge, independent learning, and the joys of reading for our diverse community.» True to Bay Area fashion, they’ve adopted and embraced technology, bringing the public library from mustiness and irrelevancy into the 21^st century.
What I love:
*free! unfettered access to knowledge!
*3M self checkout stations
*the ability to place holds and have them sent to your home branch online
*their website allows you to pay those pesky fines with a credit card
*email reminders that your book requests have arrived and are awaiting your smiling face
*friendly email reminders that your books are due soon, to avoid more of the aforementioned fines
*title request forms to suggest that books, music, audiobooks, film, digital resources or other media be added to the collection
*friendly librarians and staff
*the one city one book program
*the musty, disorganized but fabulous book sale sponsored by the friends of the sf public library each year at fort mason
*strong collection of media in various languages
*diverse events for all ages, from «toddler tales and playtime» to «planting a victory garden» to «email class in japanese»
*unrivaled people watching at the main branch
thanks, sf public library for allowing me to embrace my inner bookworm through technology. wielding my library card makes me feel like a superhero of learning. love love love

Really like this library.
It’s been revamped. Looks good in and out.
Huge selection of asian books!
Helpful and friendly staff.
Separate kids section. They have a policy that adults unaccompanied by a child cannot sit and read in the kids section. I like this!
This one even has a small parking lot.

just around the corner from work for me, so super convenient! open late monday nights. it took them less than 48 hours to get a bunch of books i ordered to this branch. it’s clean, well-​lit, and has nice functional self-​service machines. i love libraries :).

I like this library a lot, it’s usually worth the walk for me to come from Japantown a couple blocks down Geary over here. Also easily accessible by the 38 line. Plus there’s parking, for those you of (un)lucky enough to have a car in the city.
It’s a small little location, so if you’re just browsing for books, you’ll have a much better go of it by visiting the Main Library at Civic Center. But the Western Addition shines in the Russian and Japanese materials that it provides. Apparently it’s the largest collection of those materials in the SFPL system. I also indulge in the CD and DVD selection they have here, I’ve grabbed much Japanese music and many Japanese movies from here. The price can’t be beat. Free!
I didn’t visit this library before its recent renovation, but it looks nice and spiffy to me! It’s a quiet little place (it’s a library, duh) but not a bad area to spend a lazy Sunday reading.

It’s great having a library so close to my place and being able to order books and pick them up here. The renovation is much better than what it used to be, but homeless people are slowly making their way back and occasionally smelling up the place. It has that green look/​feel to it and is open 7 days a week, with somewhat odd hours. The dvd selection never seems to have anything I want, but if you know Japanese or Russian, this is the place for you!

This is one of the smaller branches of the SF Public Library system, but by far one of the cleanest (including the bathrooms). There are often quite a few patrons sitting around reading or using a computer, but I’ve never been unable to find a spot for myself. Very few homeless people frequent this library, especially in comparison to the Main Branch. A couple of times there have been some noisy kids, but this does not seem too commonplace. Lots of Japanese literature, magazines, music, and movies. The signs are all in English, Russian, and Japanese, which is a refreshing switch from the usual English, Chinese, and Spanish that you see throughout much of the City.

I wandered in here on my way to the gym and was surprised to see that they are open on Wednesdays till 9:00pm! The young lady at the info desk was super sweet and helpful and showed me how to get a library card on their computer so we wouldn’t waste paper =)
very clean, and pretty small but so nice to have a library so close to home. no matter where i’m at, i always feel at home with a roomful of mustyish books.
they have some great classic novels but selection does seem smaller since they’re a baby branch. this will be a great escape for me when i need a break from my BF!
i checked out a book for the first time in years! just thinking about the plastic covered novel makes me so happy =)

Since their re-​opening in February, I’ve meant to come in and check them out and I’ve finally gotten around to it. It’s really a small, bare bones operation, with tons of Russian and Japanese (I’m guessing?) books. Like, TONS. Yay for them for catering to our diverse cultures in this neck of the woods. The space is light, bright, and airy, and the staff was super nice and helpful — assisting me with getting a library card even though I thoughtlessly came in without any proof of my address (it’s a temp/​restricted card, but I was still able to pick up a book for my upcoming vacation). It looks like I may still need to trek to another branch to get a huge selection or some of the more obscure volumes I’m looking for, but I’m thrilled to have this branch within walking distance. Yay!

Just your friendly neighborhood library branch!
Hey, the Western Addition branch has a little bit of whatever it is that you need — books, CDs, movies, magazines, and more! If they don’t have it, then you can «request» it online (or have the friendly staff help you) and have it sent over there for you to pick up. How awesome is that?
The renovation looks great. The interior is way more inviting and the patio area is a fine place to spend some time on a sunny day.

It’s open!
Finally the Western Addition Library awakens from a long overdue hibernation and renovation. It is SO much cleaner, with better lighting, lots of computers and even a new lovely outdoor seating area. There is a designated section for just Japanese books, another for Russian books. Then there’s the old trusty stuff in English.
The transit here is so easy — the 38 Geary going West drops you off right at the library!
Worth visiting! I heart my neighborhood public library!

Open SUNDAYS now… Heavy users of computers. constantly booked during summer.
Small, small collection of children’s and adult fiction, but a little bit of everything.
Maybe twelve parking spaces available, if you get there early enough. You might get lucky for a parking spot. Beware of the crazy volunteer librarian that will SCREAM at the patron… she looks to be about 28 years old, brown wavy/​curly hair, about 280 pounds. SHOCKING. Rarely there, but just call if you have a reference question.
AND the crazy homeless guy with the stuffed monkey and baby girl doll that he will make sounds with while he is on the computer next to you.
Great natural lighting facing North. Hope that filthy French smelly homeless man has gone back to President Sarcossi’s empire to sleep at their Bibliotheque on themain floor, instead of branching out here, hoarding old Sunday New York Times as a poser with pseudo wide eyed psychosis drool crumpled in a heap starts snorrriiinnggg VERY LOUDLY. Instead it’s a methman, with his kewpie doll, backpack and stuffed reindeer doll at the computers shaking his voodoo stick every ten minutes… weird…
Just ask a Librarian to give him a wake up call.
After nearly waiting for two LOOOONGGG years, it has finally reopened after successfully utilizing SF taxpayer money to remodel, refurbish and modernize its facilities for an inexpensive restive from expensive San Francisco paycheck to paycheck existence.
This is one place to find a satisfying collection of JAPANESE and Japanese oriented books, magazines, CDs and VHS movies.
THANK YOU, San Francisco for keeping this place intact!!!
Supervisor MIRKARIMI (Iranian Jewish American Green Party guy), came by… Mayor Newsom in a jogging outfit and other community folk. Notice the famous contributors to the collection on the brick road towards the entrance.
The computers are popular with children and adult children fighting over their 30 minute reserved times; again ask for the Librarian’s help in mediating.
I just loooovee the Kateigaho magazine and Sashiko book that I can check out from this Library.
I even talked to one Japanese lady and her husband and they made a SPECIAL trip from SACRAMENTO, about an hours drive away from San Francisco just for her to check out a huge bag of Japanese books from this library.
Senior citizen Russian and Ukranian Jews have a small section of Russian movies, books and CDs.
BUT this is a wonderfully small and convenient spot by the 38 Geary bus stop going West.
For cleaner and newer books, the ones at the Mission Bay Branch (960−4^th Street) near the ATT Baseball Park are less germ infused.