The San Francisco Public Library will reopen 11 neighborhood branches for full, in-person service over the next two weeks, and the Main Library will return to pre-pandemic service starting after Labor Day.
Mayor London Breed and library officials announced on Tuesday that the Park and West Portal branches opened first on the same day, with nine others opening no later than Aug. 17.
"We said we would get it done by the time school starts, and we are keeping to that promise," City Librarian Michael Lambert said Tuesday in a release. "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."
The library closed all of its locations last March amid the city's stay-at-home order, and many library employees aided in the city’s COVID-19 response. Ten library branches served as learning hubs to help students with remote learning.
The Main Library, which first reopened for limited hours in May, is set to be open until at least 6 p.m. every day starting Sept. 7. The branch will remain open until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
"Our branch library staff have put a tremendous amount of care and dedication toward reopening branch libraries for the public," Chief of Branches Catherine Delneo said in a statement. "Our Branch Library staff have done so much during the past year to serve our community and are so glad that we are now able to get back to doing what we love to do the most – welcoming everyone back inside San Francisco's branch libraries."
The Ingleside, North Beach and Sunset branches are set to open Aug. 9, with the Anza, Marina, Portola and Potrero following a day later. The Golden Gate Valley branch is scheduled to open on Aug. 16, and the Merced branch is pegged for Aug. 17.
Each of the library's 28 branches are at least partially reopened, save for the Mission location. The Mission branch is closed for renovations, which are due to be completed in the winter.
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