San Mateo Public Library: Difference between revisions

Most programs are part of the SMCGS’s monthly meeting held on the 4th Saturday of most months.  Programs are held either remotely via Zoom or in-person at the San Mateo Main Library.  Most programs are free and open to everyone however a select few are open only to SMCGS dues paying members.

Efforts to build a community library in San Mateo began in 1883.  The first library opened in 1885 in Library Hall on B Street in San Mateo.  Following the 1906 earthquake, the library moved into a new, larger facility in 1907 on 2nd Avenue.  Two more branch libraries opened in San Mateo: Hillsdale Library in 1957 and Marina Library in 1966.  In 1968, a new, three-story Main Library opened at 55 W. Third Avenue.  Once again the library outgrew that building and in 2006 the current Main Library opened in a larger footprint on the W. Third Avenue site.  In 2023 the San Mateo Public Library began a partnership with the San Mateo Genealogical Society and SMCGS moved its library to the San Mateo Main Library where it resides today. [https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/544/History-of-the-Library History of the San Mateo Public Library]