More San Francisco library branches set to reopen this month

As more San Francisco library staff return from roles as city disaster service workers supporting Covid-19 response efforts, city officials said Tuesday that 11 more neighborhood branches are slated to reopen for in-person services over the next two weeks.

The West Portal and Park locations reopened Tuesday while the Ingleside and Sunset branches will reopen Monday. The Anza, Marina, Portola and Potrero branches follow suit the day after. The Golden Gate Valley branch is scheduled to reopen Aug. 16, followed by the Merced branch on Aug. 17.

Officials said while the Mission branch remains closed for renovation, the San Francisco Public Library is creating a bookmobile to temporarily fill the void at Harrison and 20th streets on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

The Main Library returns to pre-pandemic hours the day after Labor Day on Sept. 7, offering service until 8:00 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and until 6 p.m. on all other days of the week. The branch will open at 9:00 a.m. between Monday and Thursday.

Mayor London Breed said in a statement:

“I am excited to announce that our neighborhood libraries are reopening for in-person service. Like so many City services, our libraries were hit hard by the pandemic with staff forced to find innovative ways to continue serving our communities. I want to thank the San Francisco Public Library staff for supporting our city through this challenging time and their commitment to keeping our libraries operating and accessible.”

Officials said despite most library staff returning to their regular positions, a large number of vacancies remain and are preventing branches from returning to pre-pandemic hours.

In-person library programs, such as storytime and author talks, will be phased in as staffing increases.

In a statement, City Librarian Michael Lambert said:

“I want to thank the public for their ongoing patience and support during this time. We are incredibly excited to welcome you back through our doors, and we look forward to reintroducing in-person public programs in the weeks to follow.”

More information about which locations are offering in-person services and hours of operation are available at https://sfpl.org/sfpl-to-go/reopening-services.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.