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Learning Environment » Public Library

Public Library

Our libraries offer great books, innovative and stimulating programs, friendly, knowledgeable staff, timely information, historical exhibits, and a sense of place for community-building. 

Library attendance attracts more than 6.3 Million visitors, which exceeds the attendance at San Diego Padres and Chargers home games combined.

Our libraries are a source of pride, helping to inspire lifelong learning.  Libraries serve people of every age, income, ethnicity, and physical ability; and provide the full range of information resources needed to live, learn, govern, and work.  In our democratic system, we expect our citizens to be self-governors; but to do so responsibly, our voters must be well-informed. Having a well-managed library collection and skilled work force ensures that a diverse range of books and media are readily available.

In 2010, 7.7 Million items were loaned with an additional 1.2 Million items used in libraries. There were over 1.6 million reference questions answered by library staff. More than 1.7 Million customers signed up to use the Internet on a library workstation and over 1.9 Million online database searches were conducted.  More than 17,000 digital key cards are issued annually to San Diego Unified School District students to access the Library's electronic resources.

The San Diego Public Library offers a variety of innovative and stimulating programs:

READ/San Diego, the Adult Literacy Program, continues to serve as a model for the country.  In 2010, the Program trained and utilized the talents of 363 volunteers who, in turn, assisted 411 adult learners. The Program also provided on-going training and development for volunteer literacy tutors and the adult literacy field and a workplace literacy program for City Public Utilities employees.

San Diego Public Library is a key source for employment and career resources. The Library's website provides links to local employment resources, job search tools, job training, and links to job fairs, employment agencies, unemployment and workplace rights, and career guidance information.  Branch libraries throughout the City provide computers and free wireless Internet access. There are numerous circulating and reference books in libraries to support job seekers, including books on career guidance, job search, internships, apprenticeships, jobs abroad, resumes, interviews, cover letters, exam preparation, workplace rights, and much more.
 
As a gathering place for people from all walks of life, the San Diego Public Library has developed a reputation as a premier location for movie lovers to come together to watch and discuss popular and cutting edge films and documentaries, along with post-screening speakers, either the filmmakers themselves or scholars recruited from area colleges, who serve as facilitators who engage audiences in meaningful conversations of the life themes covered in the films.  These programs include:
 
  • The Point of View (POV) Series, in partnership with the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), brings the best of independent documentaries to a national audience
  • Community Cinema, in affiliation with the Independent Television Service (ITVS) media organization, provides monthly screening of independently produced documentary films related to social issues in communities across the country
  • Digital Cinema Showcase, in partnership with the San Diego Media Arts Center, uses new technologies and equipment to download the latest independent, documentaries and foreign movies for free community screenings
  • Film Forum is one of the longest-running programs in the San Diego Public Library and shows independent films and foreign releases
  • BorDocs Documentary Forum screens short media projects from our local border region and offered activities including round tables, workshops, a concert and question and answer opportunities with filmmakers and producers
  • Occasional Film Series include immigration films, Afro-Latino images, African short cinema, women's film festivals, and films exploring gay and lesbian American experiences.
 The San Diego Public Library has a well-established music program that the community has responded to with enthusiasm and ongoing support.  About 1,500 people attend the concert series.

The Visual Arts Program's relationship with the City's educational institutions continued to strengthen. Class field trips to library art exhibitions, individual assignments by art professors for students to critique library art exhibitions, and requests for classroom visits by the library curator, are increasing substantially as art professors and instructors, themselves faced with major budget cuts, are forced to rely more on community and public library resources.

The San Diego Public Library offers a wide array of services and programming for children, teens and young adults.  Over 50,000 attend the 1,500 children's programs and 127 teen programs.  The Summer Reading Program, with more than 25,000 participants, is one of the most anticipated programs each year for youth, has an emphasis on fun special events, contests, and crafts while exploring the world of reading.

In partnership with the San Diego Unified School District, the Library actively promotes Electronic Resources for Student Success, which includes HelpNow! (online homework tutoring - formerly Live Homework Help); SchoolRooms - a portal technology that aggregates school related information by grade level; QuestionPoint (formerly Ask Now) - 24/7 access to reference librarians; and Research Databases, which link to more than 60 databases including encyclopedias, photos, biographies, maps, science projects and more.  There are more than 4,500 tutoring sessions conducted at the library.

 From the beginning, libraries have played a vital role in American democracy.  Some quotes from Thomas Jefferson:

  • "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
  • "If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy?"
  • "Information is the currency of democracy."

As noted by the Wisconsin Library Association Foundation:

  • Libraries are essential institutions in a democratic society because they play a non-partisan role in providing the information that allows citizens to make informed decisions.
  • Libraries are essential to the educational process because they support curricula, teach information literacy, and foster critical thinking skills.
  • Libraries are essential partners in creating educated communities because they provide opportunities for self-education, life-long learning, and self-improvement.
  • Libraries are essential places of opportunity because they level the playing field making the world of information available to anyone seeking it.