Have you ever been to the San Francisco Main Library, the one at Civic Center? Can I talk a bit about how much I love it there?

You really don’t even have to have a kid to love it. It is vast; it is full of books. It is free. You can get a card right there on the spot. And then take out books, for free, and read them. Almost any book you could possibly want. FLOORS of books.

Not impressed? You read books on your iPad or Kindle or whatever? They have electronic books available. Did I mention the free part? So, instead of going on Amazon and clicking on the whatever and downloading the whatever and wondering whether you really just bought anything? Is it really yours? You can see it, but is it yours yours? You can do the same thing through SF library, and A) the free part and B) you just got access to the book, just like whatever you just did through Amazon.

Oh, you have a kid? Then the San Francisco library system is pure magic.

First, if you have a baby (less than 15 months), high tail it to the closest Baby Rhyme Time. I preferred the Main Library because Librarian Jim is awesome and Bean was transfixed by him. It is super mellow and supportive, a quiet room full of wriggling babies, bottles, and boobs. You’ll get to meet cool moms who also think libraries are the bee’s knees and then get to see those babies all grow up together into toddlers.

And, so fine, I think I just discovered “community.” Community wrapped up in thousands of wonderfully illustrated children’s books.

Second, if you have an older kid, there are so many programs! Weekly programs, of course like Toddler Tales and Family Storytime, but then monthly programs like exploring fire trucks and live music shows and magician shows and bubble lady shows and Native American storytelling and dancing.

And, did you know the San Francisco library provides free lunches to kids all summer long and has snack activities for kids everyday?

Basically, it’s such a wonderful resource, you’ll want to figure out how to donate directly to them.

To get a card:

Bring a valid California ID (driver’s license or state/local ID) to the library. OR, you can also show an out-of-state driver’s license and California mail postmarked in the last 30 days. (See here for more info on valid forms of ID)

Fill out an application on an available computer near the front desk.

Go to the front desk and retrieve your card. SO EASY.

To find your nearest library:

Check out this map. You can go to any of the libraries, though.

Happy reading!