News Release

Mayor Gavin Newsom, Supervisor Bevan Dufty, City Librarian Luis Herrera and members of the community will open the doors to the new Glen Park Branch Library on Saturday, October 13. The brand-new library will feature more books and a space that’s six times as big as its current location.

A grand opening celebration will kick off with lion dancers, musicians, children’s entertainers and a festive street fair on Diamond Street. Festivities begin at 1 p.m. Library services will start at 2 p.m. Diamond Street will be closed between Bosworth and Chenery to through-traffic during the event.

Located at 2825 Diamond Street near the Glen Park BART station, the 8,500-square-foot space occupies the second floor of the new Glen Park Marketplace, a multi-use building which includes the library, housing units and a grocery store. A beautiful public art display in the glass-enclosed foyer will welcome patrons into the branch. The light and airy new branch features special children and teen areas, a state-of-the-art program room, new shelving for a books and materials collection that’s at least 40 percent larger, more computers, Wi-Fi access to the Internet and staff work spaces.

Tom Eliot Fisch and the Bureau of Architecture designed the library and the Department of Public Works managed the project.

Glen Park is the fifth branch to be renovated under the Branch Library Improvement Program, which is funded by a $105.9 million bond measure passed by voters in November 2000. The branch is one of four currently housed in leased facilities which will be replaced by city-owned buildings. It replaces the little 1,500-square-foot library on Chenery Street after nearly 30 years. Project costs totaled about $5.5 million.

Over the past two years, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library has been working in partnership with neighborhood residents and communities to raise funds, awareness and support for the branch improvements. Friends has contributed $500,000 towards the Glen Park Branch renovations, to pay for furnishings, fixtures and equipment—expenses not covered by the bond. Of this, $200,000 has been raised by the Glen Park Library Campaign Committee. Having originally set a goal of $150,000, the Glen Park community increased—and met—its expectations, with contributions still coming in at all levels. For more information on how to support the Glen Park Library Campaign, please contact Marian Chatfield-Taylor, 626-7512 X103.

For more information, please call (415) 557-4277.

We voted to renovate and build new branch libraries across the City.
It's happening!