San Francisco Public Library Review

While tech is on boom in SF, this library remains as the sole place for privileged to learn from the literature. Contains amazing collections, quick signup and returns. You can also find collections of old movies and audios in there. One of the best things, it contains a section of disabled people. You will find a lot of homeless people there, but anyone who is willing to learn and improve, even if homeless in physical state, is a much better person than the ones on street.

If you want studying you've come to the right place! Library had great and various book about every research interests. Private working rooms very amazing. It's closes very early. Usually my studying is interrupted. I wish it's opens 24 hours but unfortunately it's impossible in San Francisco. Maybe it can be close little bit late.

I'm a nerd. I loved the spacious high ceiling window and the cushy chairs and clean tables. No worries bout the outside cause the inside will have quiet areas to study or chill at. The quotes are a perfect touch and definitely help to brighten and energize for all the intellectuals or library lovers here!

You are evil waiting to open up the library at 12:00 noon on friday!

Great Library - I needed to get a bunch of work done while I was staying in the area, so I set up in here each day with my laptop. Good wifi, great space to work in.

Homeless people are not a problem. If you can't handle it - maybe you should have a good hard think about your privileges. What a fabulous resource a library is for everyone.

#1 Library?? BAHAHA what a joke!
Worst library I've ever seen. Smells like a rotten attic. Druggies everywhere, screaming kids, people using it like a living roon. Theres 10 cameras out front & security standing around but I still got robbed within 3 hrs of being here. SF is a hopeless warzone, this is what you get with ***erals in charge. WiFi doesn't work & they say it's your device. Men's room is like a prison. Should be shut down & defunded. Censored because Google reviews is fake.

It's a big building full of free things - like books, a video store not too far off from a blockbuster, internet cafe, study room, and educational center to name a few. It's a GREAT place to learn. There are drawbacks, though. The homeless congregate here due to the access to the bathroom - which has become a shower for them via the 'birdbath' (don't ask). You might have to wait a bit to use the internet. But, all in all, this is a great place for learning and a landmark building in San Francisco.

great building and library staff but security is stupid, lazy and racist against whites. The homeless are allowed to do whatever they want and security will do nothing about it. I was threatened with a knife by a crazy homeless man and they asked me to leave so as not to escalate the situation?? I said no he is going to leave not me, so the black lady security called more of her people and then threatened to call the police on me !!! I got a hold of the librarian in charge and he had the security finally do there job. To many homeless sleeping, changing and smelling up the place and their homeless dogs. In New York this would never be tolerarated

A very large library. The only thing I would ask for is more cell phone chargers with cables. There's only one and it's usually always occupied with people.

We are so fortunate to have this world class library. I wish it could be open 24 hours. The collection is good. The staff and the library's programs are exceptional. Love it.

A great innovative place. If you want to so research or just have quiet place to read this is it. Computer use cardholders or use for the day pass is available. Friendly and helpful staff are on hand to assist in my experience

WiFi is hard to connect to and homeless people flood the front and the bathrooms. And always watch your stuff

The library itself is actually very beautiful and nice, but - as bad as this may sound- there are way too many homeless people in and around the library. Would not recommend coming here, especially to study, work, or read.

Unlike Boston or New York, where the libraries are popular places for locals to go and tourists to visit, this library is not the same. It functions more as a homeless shelter and there is a pungent odor throughout the library.

Big library with lots of materials to offer. The facility does okay on cleanliness, but often has many crowded areas outside. There is often criminal activity revolving around the library and the bathroom sometimes has people cleaning themselves at the sinks.

Very nice upstairs. Clean, quiet. But the first floor bathroom is ridiculous. It's like Grand Central Station but with bums.

very nice place.everything seems to be excellent except the WiFi keeps disconnecting from time to time.
my favourite place to study and work on developing projects :).

Besides the homeless and the funny smells.
This library have so much collections of books, CD, movies, etc.
They even have a 3 D printer you can use now!!
I recommend tourist to visit the upper floor like the 5th floor and 6th floor, there are so much to see and really nice sights.

This Public Library of San Francisco is awesome!. I really love it! I can stay and read books the whole day, everyday of my life..

Do you like books? The SF Public Library has books. The interiors are clean and the staff are pretty friendly from my experience.

The library has a convenient location close to the Civic Center Bart station. No idea about parking though. Unless they have a garage for the library, parking is not recommended :)

Wi fi not working 5 floor 3 floor.facebook.everyone could drop money in box for better wi fi.is say no wi fi...

This review covers the Koret Auditorium in the main library. I've been to the movies several times in this lower level 'sunken treasure', mainly documentaries and have not had a bad experience once. This 235 seat Koret Auditorium is easily confused with its 269 seat namesake inside the de Young Museum, so make certain you are heading for the right movie in the right location. If you have time, the exhibition on the same level usually has something interesting, mainly photography. Word of warning: the bike racks outside are not 100% secure.

If you like reading, you want to check out the book collection available at SFPL. If you live in SF and have proof of address, you can get the membership and can reserve/look for books online. There are a ton of other resources available online and if you are a student, SFPL membership can come in really handy.

There are a ton of books available in all subjects and lots of guides, magazines, newspaper options, ebooks, CD's etc so you can never run out of options.

You might find homeless people occasionally in SFPL but hopefully overtime that issue gets resolved.

The library itself it's not bad but it is not safe, the whole downtown area is not safe due to all the homeless people and the drug dealers, I just made an emergency stop there, less than 20 min. and got robbed.

One of my favorite libraries in the city! They never cease to amaze me with the amount of material and the helpfulness of the staff to help find the hidden treasures!

When your friends are outside enjoying the sunshine and you have to study this really isn't a bad place to spend your day. It's absolutely gorgeous! 3rd floor reading room. Bundle up because it's always freezing, but it helps keep you awake. For some reason it has smelled like dirty feet/vinegar lately, but it's not always like that. Maybe it's the tourists?

The SF Library is a large and bustling place. It represents a shift from libraries as a repository to a libraries as a community resource. With special areas for kids, teens, jobless, homeless, and community meeting rooms; there is always something going on. If you are looking for places to read, there are desks and side rooms with plenty of natural light.

Honestly cleaner than I expected and lots of free events, but some parts do smell of pee.

This huge beautiful public space has many many design faults, like many other reviewers before me stated, the one and only restroom on the first floor makes no sense whatsoever, and it s almost always being occupied by mentally disturbed and the smelly homeless junkies just rub salt to the injury, I wonder exactly what the security guards are there for?

As nice as the atrium inside this architecturally beautiful building served no purpose except for taking up lot of space.

They re hundred of in-house computers for the library s database only which only 5% of them get used on regular bases while there seems to be only a handful of Online computers are being on offer to the public which is always occupied by the shady crowds who you d think must live inside this building but never showers!

Call it my second home I love all of the library s in the system especially West Portal and North Beach! Great knowledgeable staff always ready to help you find your book, your film, your music, and pretty much anything else you might need in our city by the bay. Librarians, people you should be friends with.

I hope no more suggesting on donations and volunteers such as real problem making it s now illegal to accept any donations that is unsafe to public safety period

Wow such a nice library. Lots of study areas but can fill-up with people hanging out all day.

I t the research staff at this library especially the government fifth GE staff they are all interested and engaged.

This is a wonderful library with an incredibly diverse population. It is sad that so many people complain about the homeless in the area. Most of the posts were probably done by the upper class who helped create the problem. Instead of complaining do something about it. There would be few left on the street if we had proper permanent housing. This is the people s library. All San Franciscans are people.

Great library. Beautiful building. Lots of homeless people.

This is one nice library. The only draw back are all the homeless. I guess they need to go somewhere for the day. I know the feeling I was once in that predicament. I hope more people are sensitive to the homeless as they definitely don't want to be in that position.

A really beautiful library and great resource in the heart of San Francisco. Too bad the homeless use it as a shelter and personal bathroom to wash themselves in. If it weren't for that, I would add an extra star.

Beyond books, cd's, newspapers, & magazines, there are many great workshops, everything from cooking to coding. Free films & documentaries. I found my apartment here through a hosted non-profit, The San Francisco Community Land Trust. Free databases on eLearning, & more. There are events daily. Subscribe to the newsletter. All for free with just a library card.

Great location and facility. Taken over by homeless. Even with constant staff and security, still did not feel like a library.

Hours are pretty weak and their computer use policies are strange. You can only book a computer for one hour at a time which makes it difficult to do job searching or research or something like that.

Hub for the homeless, though there's a good security presence. Wonderful technology and collection of media.

Lovely building and a great resource, but the bathrooms are a bit of a drug den

First library I've been to around the country that plays music and it is good music

Dirty covered with panhandling and harassing security guards. I give it 1 star because they make you check 1.

For starters, the guard was very friendly! I went up and in to one of the study rooms and the wall design is magnificent! They were small rectangular papers with handwriting of different people at different times. Mostly, words of wisdom and inspirational quotes. It was awesome. I got an idea for my future room.

A cool place to chill. ...but seeing a person shoot up in front of you is like wow

I waver between a 4 and a 5 on this but I'm rounding up. The best part is that this branch has a huge selection to simply browse. Of course you can request books like at any of the other branches, but if you want to just see what catches your fancy, this is a great place to go.

They also have a decent selection of foreign language books, for both adults and children. On the topic of children's books, they have an extensive children's area and the library staff pay close attention to make sure there are no stray, random adults wandering around near other people's children. There is also a separate teen section where adults and younger children are not permitted at all.

They've got a decent selection of DVDs and Blurays as well as CDs (if you still use physical media) and your library membership gets you access to Hoopla, Overdrive and a number of other digital services for e-books, movies and audiobooks.

They offer computer terminals and internet access and there's a decent amount of seating, but it isn't really a comfortable place to work all day. It's publicly accessible and in the middle of the Tenderloin, so the public restrooms are pretty stinky, but I think they do make an effort to keep them at least marginally clean...

Homelessness is a thing around here so you may have to figure out a way to avoid craziness but all in all the library is fun and welcoming dont let homelessness stop you from coming here!

One of, if not, the best public libraries in the country. So many resources along with dedicated and passionate volunteers make this a real gem.

It's a great resource to residence of San Francisco as well as people visiting. Public restrooms are available to all and were very surprisingly in great shape. Library is the largest l have ever had the privilege of utilizing 6 stories of books, literacy classes, events, computers, cafe and more. Also there is an exhibit at the Larkin st entrance that is awesome it pertains to social interactions between people of different walks of life

Super huge place. Has 7 floors. Bathroom only on the first floor. Extensive collection of books and resources. Definitely recommend for studying or personal activities

The single restroom on the first floor of a six story Building is an architectural joke. And it is a joke in extremely bad taste, and should have never made it beyond the preliminary design phase. Should never have made it into the prelim design. Come on. It is a functional monstrosity, although beautiful- but wasn't designed for humans, maybe bots.

Awesome library, main branch at the heart of the city.

Pros:
1. Very helpful staff
2. Wonderful infrastructure
3. Huge Variety of books collection
4. As a silicon valley, also have technological department.
5. Special events to join
6. Nearby public transport available

Cons:
1. Nearby homeless people may cause safety issue around. But security is great inside library.

Tips:
There are 20+ libraries inside the city, you can always go to nearby location.

- You can only use Pencil as per policy.

It will surprise you all that you find inside of this Library

It's a nice place with a massive collection of books and plenty of bright light. There are also small galleries throughout the library, as well as a selection of DVDs and Blu-Rays and CDs.

Only downside is the homeless you see on Market St.

It is a nice building, bright, spacious with a lot of books & possibilities. But I just don't get how it is possible to let homeless people to take drugs in the toilets? In a library? It is definitely NOT a place for children. Though this library has a nice children center. This library is more homeless shelter than a library.

The location, librarians , free coffee is perfect spot.

It's kool that there open to where you can pick up items on hold and return them

I believe that education is a library card. I don't consider myself a full-time resident until I get one.

The librarians are immensely sweet and helpful. Plenty of computers to freely access the internet. There is a large space dedicated to ADA resources. The main floor has many rows of DVDs and videos to browse for family entertainment.

No where is safer and more enlightening than the San Francisco Main Public Library.

Great public library near City Hall and Civic Center.

Hi I am looking at the new one and now we have some one for me too but maybe we should just get have

The Good : great resources, impressive design and architecture, plenty of seating, outlets, computers, great staff
The Bad : many of the patrons are members of the most troubled homeless community,
bathrooms are being watched and cleaned yet are not a good place to be in
The Ugly : Free WiFi is totally worthless,
I measured the latency several times and the median was a whopping 235 Mps UPDATE:The library has now stopped using SFWiFi and has its own WiFi so this is a very significant improvement

Love it here. Brought my kids and a friend, and they are enjoying the new library digs. More than books, it's well lit and has a urban feel to the design and services. Friendly staff and ample computers for children of all Ages.

A great addition to Gas lamp district.

The San Francisco Public Library doesn't care about its female patrons or, in fact, any of the women in the city of San Francisco. It is currently playing host to an exhibit that features baseball bats (some wrapped in barbed wire), sledgehammers, and axes that have been used to violently intimidate women. The San Francisco Public Library is promoting misogyny and glorifying violence against women.

This library is very big and I love that they have a big area for kids books. One thing I really like is that once you have a library card, you can put books on hold to pick. SF Library has a good online book system so you don't have to go to several places to find a book. If you reserve a book at this branch, you go to one area and look under your last name and find the book. Check out is quick and easy.

The other thing they have here that other libraries don't is a display room downstairs. They have themed displayed such as the great quake. The information and pictures were very interesting.

This should be five stars HOWEVER, you have garbage that makes this place home. I live in LA and when I have had to come for work to SF, I end up here and ask: WHY?! The holdings are amazing and even rival LAPL HOWEVER, the nasty feral individuals ruin this place and my personal experience. I cannot find empathy for such abject filth that barely walks and assumes itself part of the human race....one word: DISGUSTING!!!

It is a good Library except for all of the homeless people sleeping in the library

A world class library in the heart of San Francisco.

Good Lord! I wish I had a public library like this in California!

I wouldn't have known about this place if not for the Sex and the City movie, where Carrie and Big were supposed to get married.

It looks even more beautiful in person, inside and out! It's like stepping foot in a museum in Italy or something, with large marble columns, Sisteen Chapel-like ceiling paintings, and golden crown moldings all over.

Just a spectacular sight to see.

Had a research here and ghadd I was so happy cause I found the book that I ve been looking to help me finish our research

I love this Library! It's beautiful and lots of natural light shines inside. Easy to find the new released books on the first floor. Easy to drop off books and self check out is the best! The other great asset at this Main Library are the events, free classes and the Jewett Gallery.

A huge selection of books and wonderful architecture too. One can spend hours here browsing the books. Also has a small bookshop. Has lots of activities throughout the year.

Except for a few crack heads, this is a great library. Oh, and the staff is the Greatest. Though unsung.