San Leandro Library – Main Library

Great place for reading and doing homework. On Estudillo and walking distance to shopping center and restaurants. Beware of the parking though!!! They are hard core at giving tickets in and out or around that whole area. Make sure if you are in 2 or 3 hr parking and watch for the parking police that chalk tires and give out tickets! They have a small café with drinks and some instant or frozen food that get heated in the microwave. They have lots of yummy cookies for a dollar and various pastries and bread. They have soup of the day and coffee.

Always a great selection of books, magazines, news papers, DVD and even VHS!
My two favorites are the books and DVD’s. There are always a number of events you can attend such as free movies or small festivals, check the local listing.
Generally quiet and a great place to study.

I come in here for motivation and focus on my school assignments since I am still a student burdened by the numerous papers and workload. Everyone who comes here are respectful to the library environment (quiet and mindful) and does not frolic around, disrupting those who need the peace and quiet. I usually go to the Manor branch since it is closer to home, but I go here when it is too crowded at Manor (like today!). There are many seats since there are two stories, and there is a huge selection of books which I like because there are many books I want to read in my spare time that I do not want to buy.
There are a lot of programs here for all age groups also! It’s quite amazing seeing all these people from San Leandro sharing their passion for reading through various chats, bondings, dinners, and games. I have been very fortunate to meet Loryn! She is an amazing person and helps me get opportunities for my club to volunteer. I have been volunteering here for about 3 years now for various events and it never fails to make me happy when I see people be genuinely enthusiastic about something.
The staff here is always very kind and are unlike those scary librarians in those Hollywood movies. HAHA. So, I’m never afraid of asking them for help or for book recommendations!
*I recommend going here if you want a more spacious place to focus at and if you want fast internet.
**Also, the air conditioner is not on blast and so you won’t be freezing to death while trying to read a book or do work!

I am a voracious reader averaging about a book a week if not more so the library is exactly what I need as I would be buried in books at home if I bought every book I read. Plus what is the fun of rereading a mystery when you already know whodunit!
This library has 2 floors. The first floor has new books, CDs, DVDs, VHS, the monthly category (e.g. summer travel, Christmas, etc.), non-​fiction, and children section. The upper floor has fiction, mystery, paperbacks, magazines, etc. and the quiet area. When school is in session, it can get pretty packed at the tables but when school is out, it is quite empty except for checking out.
I love how they have programs for children, teens, and adults and is one of the only libraries that have an Adult Summer Reading Program which I sign up for every year. Sometimes I need a little encouragement to reach my 50+ books a year. You submit in up to 2 cards per week for $ 25 GC raffle and in August, they have a dinner for those who have submitted at least 2 cards during the program period (about 10 weeks). Programs like this allows you to meet others in your community you might not otherwise meet.
San Leandro is also lucky enough to receive the Big Read grant, not once, not twice, but I believe 4 years in a row now.

Pros… It’s in a good location.
Lots of books…
Free Wifi.
Cons… 2 hour parking limit in the lot.
Not enough seating for people with laptops.
You can’t get a library card unless you live IN San Leandro.
I came in on a weekday around 2pm. It was PACKED. Not a single space for me to study with my laptop where I wouldn’t have to be bumping elbows with someone or seeing their eyes over my laptop screen. The staff was very friendly but the venue. it’s very dim even with all the windows. Seems very outdated and dusty compared to other libraries I’ve been to. I ended up sitting in a windowsill to see the sunlight and since there was no outlet near by my laptop died. It was that or the floor.
Get some more seating, update the building, and stretch that 2 hour parking limit to 4 hours?

5 stars everytime for me. great kids programs. Great front desk staff. This place is always clean. The bathrooms are another story. But I really like this library. Keep up the good work SL Library!

Very nice library! Very quiet. I live a few blocks away, and it’s nice to walk here and pick out a book. I tried using the computers once – the day I got my library card – but the system didn’t recognize me. I imagine it was because I was a brand new user. I’ll have to try again soon.

Friendly staff free wifi, automated check out online renewal. They make it easy to read.

I enjoy coming to this library to study or do my homework. There’s free wifi, and two levels. Upstairs there are tables where you can charge your laptops and study, downstairs are more for the children so it can get noisy sometimes. There’s also a café outside of the library but I’m not sure if you can bring drinks inside the actual
library? If you could that would be great to have some coffee while studying.

Making me love living in San Leandro more and more every time I find another gem in the city. The library is a place of imagination, knowledge and fun. At this library, it’s not that typical public, with the urine stained smells, yet a polished two story structure with enough light, space and staff to facilitate the branch to run smoothly. I’ve never had any problems at this location and it’s always quiet, especially on the second floor.
When I come home on weekends, I usually hit up the SLML early Saturday morning right when it opens at10am because a lot of people tend to come here and all the tables fill up. The placement of the tables are well arranged, many next to the huge glass window panes for the natural lights to flow it. It’s not completely surrounding by four blank and solid walls and the washout florescent lights one is accustomed to. The wifi is never spotty here and you can access all over the library, no log in required, just a simple click to accept. The chairs are comfortable and all the wall sockets work perfectly.
Besides coming to study, they have a great range of resources to choose from in their library, with an individual section for children, a computer room for class and free use, as well as comfortable sitting areas for those who just want to sink right into that book. They’ve been upgrading their system and there’s two super fancy new machines to check out or return your library books. Staff is friendly and helpful.
There’s no study rooms, but they have huge conference rooms that can be rented out and are pretty spacious. I’ve had a couple of meetings in there. Outside is a small café with seating and a little bookstore to purchase books from. The library PD office is also inside the building, so fear not anything! Parking is ample both in the lot and on either sides of the building. They are opened at decent times and close not too early.
We need more public institutions such as libraries modeled after this one. It’s quaint and you’re able to get work done. Great for meeting up with friends, grabbing a book, hosting a meeting or just trying to get yourself focused.

When I was a teenager, this was the library I told my parents I was going to, to study. Of course, I only stopped in for a few minutes before I went to a local drive-​in for a soda and flirt time. The building seems to be larger than I remember I guess I only ran in and out so I wasn’t telling too much of a story.
This is an impressive library. It is large two story building with lots of books, There is a café and gift shop. There is also a Friends of the San Leandro Library bookstore. I’ve attended several all-​day seminars in the library theater and found it a very comfortable venue to spend a long 6 to 8 hour day at.

I come here often with my boys to check out books, participate in events put on for the kids, get a movie, and of course have them participate in the Summer Reading Program. They also offer a lot of events for adults. This library is clean, quiet and the amount of creativity and effort that is put into the Summer Reading Program is phenomenal. There is also an Adult Summer Reading Program!!! Late fees, I hate, but I pay without resent because after all… I am turning in the books LATE?!