Facts About the Central Library

Location : 820 E Street in downtown San Diego .

Opening : Dedicated Sunday, June 27, 1954 ; officially opened Monday, June 28, 1954

Size : 144,525 square feet on five levels (including two levels below grade)

Cost : $1,686,500

Architects : Johnson, Hatch and Wulff

Contractor : F.E. Young Construction

The Central Library, the heart of the City of San Diego Public Library system, is a major cultural and recreational facility that provides a wide variety of services to San Diego residents and the 35-branch library system. Since the Central Library opened 50 years ago, books and other materials have circulated 34,700,292 times and library staff has answered 29,629,039 reference questions.

Regional Research Facility

The Central Library has the largest collection of books and other materials of any public library south of Los Angeles . As a result, it is a major research facility for not only San Diego County , but also the counties of Imperial, Orange and Riverside.

Downtown Library

The Central Library is the closest library for the residents and workers in downtown, as well as those in the neighboring communities of Sherman Heights , Park West and Golden Hill. The total number of patron visits to the Central Library in fiscal year 2003 was 765,038.

Library System Support

The Central Library provides technical, logistical and administrative support to the San Diego Public Library system, including 35 branches. It also provides specialized, in-depth reference service for the entire system. In addition, the Central Library oversees the READ/San Diego adult literacy program, the Environmental Library, and the Library Web site and catalog. Each year, the Central Library delivers approximately 70,000 books and other materials, as well as supplies, to branch libraries.

Headquarters for Serra Cooperative Library System

The Central Library is the headquarters for the Serra Cooperative Library System, a network of 14 public library systems as well as academic and special libraries in San Diego and Imperial counties. The program helps library agencies provide expanded resources and improved services at reduced costs through systematic interlibrary cooperation for a population of 3,142,900.

Major Repository

The Central Library is a repository of the major part of library system’s collection, reference works and government publications. The Central Library contains 792,823 books, 21,805 audio-visual materials, 89,000 bound periodicals, and 1.6 million government documents. In addition, the Central Library subscribes to more than 1,300 newspapers and magazines and 56 online databases. More than 60 percent of the Central Library’s collection is stored on two basement levels.

Notable Areas and Sections of the Central Library

• Art, Music & Recreation Section: This section holds a large collection of compact discs, DVDs, video cassettes, audio books, picture files and sheet music, as well as titles about sports and recreation.
• Auditorium: The auditorium hosts music concerts, film screenings, lectures, and other special events year-round.
• California Room: A large collection of local San Diego history materials is available for researchers and history enthusiasts.
• Children’s Room & Teen Space: Children visit with their families and friends or with classes to check out books especially created for them. Teen Space, one of the newer areas of the Central Library, offers older children books and other items closer to their age group interests.
• Computer Lab: Twenty computers provide Internet connections and computer programs for patrons who do not have access to computers of their own.
• Genealogy Room: Books and online services help patrons trace their family trees and research their roots.
• History & World Affairs Section: The collection in this section includes biographies, geography, American and world history, encyclopedias, and travel guides.
• I-Can! Center: The center is devoted to assisting people with disabilities. It includes computers with special workstations and software, and books in large print and Braille.
• Literature & Languages Section: Titles in fiction, psychology and religion can be found in this section as well as a large collection of books in foreign languages.
• Newspaper Room: Newspapers from San Diego and major cities around the world are available for perusal.
• Science & Industry Section: One of the Library’s most varied collections can be found in this section. It includes car repair manuals, cookbooks, health information, patents, tax forms and topographical maps.
• Social Sciences & Business Reference Section: Information can be found here about investments, politics and government, starting a business, and wedding planning.
• Wangenheim Room: The Wangenheim Room contains the library’s rare books collection. It was funded by a gift from Laura K. Wangenheim in memory of her husband, former Library Commissioner, businessman and civic leader Julius Wangenheim. His large collection of rare books was donated to the Library.
  Visit the Wangenheim Room Web Page