Nearly half a million people in San Francisco say they visit their local library branch every month — for books, sure, but the library offers services for a variety of needs: You can get homework help or career coaching, and access film streaming or immigration advice. Michael Lambert, San Francisco’s City Librarian, gives an overview of what the library does, from offering services to organizing book clubs to hosting events like the seven-hour marathon Night of Ideas.
“When I started my professional career, it was in the year 2000, and we were just on the cusp of transitioning away from the gatekeepers of information and these warehouses of books, to becoming more dynamic learning centers with engaging programs, and really moving away from this transactional, check-in, check-out mode of service to what is now more of an experience for people as they come in our buildings.” — Michael Lambert
A segment from our radio show, “Civic.” Listen daily at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on 102.5 FM in San Francisco.
