The North branch of the Redondo Beach Library provides the community with a variety of books, audiobooks, music, movies and TV shows to borrow. In addition, the library has various programs for adults, teens and children to participate in as well as a wealth of databases available to patrons.
The Coronado Library was founded in 1890, and John D. Spreckels built the library's first official building in 1909. That building still stands today and is now known as the Spreckels Reading Room. Its exterior serves as the focal point of the library's main entrance, which is located on Orange Avenue, across the street from Spreckels Park.
Over the years, the library has been renovated and expanded into a 40,000-square-foot facility. It houses about 190,000 books and offers a wide range of services, including free wireless Internet and story time for children. DVDs and music CDs are available for checkout, and the library has two meeting rooms that can be rented for free.
Additionally, one of the library's most stunning features is its display of public art. There are two murals by the Mexican painter Alfredo Ramos Martinez. "El Dia del Mercado" and "Canasta de Flores" were both painted in 1938 for the interior decoration of a former restaurant in Coronado, the La Avenida Café. "El Dia del Mercado" hangs in all its grandeur above the front desk at the library entrance.
For those returning items after hours, the book/video drops on Sixth Street are open 24 hours a day. The drop in front of the building is only open during library hours.
Foothill Ranch Library is a 13,000-square-foot public library offering a huge selection of books, large-print materials, DVDs and CDs for people of all ages. There's a KidZone for toddlers, a young adult section, a used book store, a quiet study area and a community room that seats 100.
Programs at the library include seasonal story times for toddlers and preschoolers, craft programs, free Internet access at any one of the 26 public PCs, wireless connection and a summer reading program.
Project Second Chance (PSC), the Library Adult Literacy Program is a free and confidential program offered out of the public library to adults 16 and older, who are no longer in school, converse in English and cannot read or write. The program focus on literacy instructions.
A division of the Sacramento Public Library, the Elk Grove Library offers area residents a variety of services, including book and periodical checkout, free Internet-enabled computers, music CD and film rentals and more. The 13,785-square-foot library also features a group study room, a teen space, an 80-person community meeting room and more. For more information, please contact the Elk Grove Library at the provided telephone number or visit its Web site.
The Martha Riley Community Library is one of three city libraries serving area residents. It is located on Pleasant Grove Boulevard at the intersection of Woodcreek Oaks Boulevard, in the same building as the Roseville Community Television studios. The facility has three meeting rooms available for rent and a computerized system for checking out books. The library's collection includes a section on green technology.
Roseville Public Library is located in downtown by Royer Park. The library has a collection of magazines, newspapers, videos, DVDs and audio books. Internet databases are accessible through the public PC areas, and Wi-Fi is available as well.
The Fairfax Library, at the west end of town across from St. Rita's, is one branch of the Marin County Free Libraries. In addition to being connected to the other county-run libraries, such as the ones in West Marin, the Fairfax Library is connected to all other town libraries through a database. Library card-holders are able to reserve or check out books from any library in the county. The Fairfax Library also puts on a number of community and kid-focused events. There are reading clubs for adults and teens, as well as weekly children's groups. The library posts a blog on its website that keeps patrons up-to-date with the most current events. In addition, the library recently began a service, Overdrive, which allows card-holders to download books and audio on their computers.
This library offers a wide range of books and activities for neighbors in the area. Activities include storytime for toddlers and preschoolers, as well as "Read to a Dog" sponsored by the Marin Humane Society. Computers are available and one-on-one tutoring sessions can be arranged.
Opened in 2003, the Rohnert Park - Cotati branch of the Sonoma County Library holds 24,000 children's books, more than 100,000 volumes and up-to-date magazine and newspaper articles available both in print and online. The main library seats more than 250 people and a second floor offers more room if needed.
The library also hosts community lectures, readings and meetings on a variety of topics, such as native plant landscaping and a kid's reading titled "readers of the pack," where children read to what the library touts as an "appreciative dog." Most readings and lectures are free and open to the public.
As it is located in wine country, the library also caters to its audience by offering a collection of wine-related articles from academic and trade journals are available for browsing at winefiles.org.
The Rohnert Park - Cotati Branch also offers easily-navigated online research tools, ranging from digital catalogs, fiction and non-fiction books and even a service to email or phone a librarian.
Los Feliz Library is a part of the Los Angeles Public Library system. This branch features a meeting room available to rent, free wifi and desktop computers. Special programs for teens and children are also available here.
Although the Pacifica Sanchez Library has a slightly smaller collection than the Sharp Park branch, it makes up for it with aesthetics. Located in Pacifica's Sun Valley, the library gets an unusual amount of sunlight for the notoriously foggy city and there's an enclosed garden area with a vegetable patch maintained by staff.
The library is family-oriented and features several story times and family movie nights weekly, along with clubs and regular events for adults.
San Rafael Public Library is a full-service library serving the local community. It is overseen by a six-member board of trustees, which advocates for the library and helps to increase its visibility. It also provides support to the Library Foundation. Pickleweed Library is a branch of this library, located at Canal Street.
Sylvan Oaks Community Library is a library on the Southeast corner of Auburn Boulevard and Van Maren Lane. The building, which is surrounded by oak trees, neighbors Crosswoods Park. In addition to a collection of 84,000 books and magazines, there are 15 computers available for use. There is also a computer designated especially for children.
The Sonoma Valley Regional Library is a branch of the Sonoma County Library system, located on West Napa street. It offers an extensive collection of children's books and other youth programs, including a toddler storytime, and a popular "read to a dog" series. The DeLong Room is available to community members to reserve for events and performances. There is an peeer-tutored Adult Literacy program, and numerous job training events and cultural lectures. It has an annual book sale that is open to the public, and organizes book groups for avid readers.
The Oakland Public Library Rockridge Branch has approximately 75,000 books, compact discs, DVDs, audio books, video games and magazines and newspapers for all ages. This branch also offers popular children's and teen book collections, as well as 12 computers with Internet access and a fully equipped meeting room with projection screen, DVD player and TV.
The Rincon Library, opened in June, 1992, and managed by Mary Sue Nocar, features the largest collection of Spanish books and media of the three Livermore libraries.
Programs at the 4,220- square-foot branch include storytimes, "Lawyers in the Library" and "Homework Hangout."
The Ocean Park Branch is one of four Santa Monica Public Libraries and primarily serves residents on the south side of the city - as well as individuals who live in neighboring Venice.
The library may be on the small side, but it's the closest one to the water (just two blocks away) - and the most historic: The Ocean Park Branch is the only one left that still has its original Carnegie Library architecture.