San Mateo County libraries expand resources for residents during National Library Week

At every library within San Mateo County, residents with a membership are able to check out a Discover & Go pass, which provides free and low-cost passes for museums, science centers, zoos, theaters and other county destinations. The list of amenities is available upon registration.

All Peninsula Library System sites also offer computer and internet access, help finding legal assistance providers within San Mateo County, educational databases, free tutoring for adults to improve their reading, bilingual story time six days a week, and laptops, personal hot spots and accessibility equipment for check out. 

Most sites also offer access to a 3D printer and sewing machine, and some have bicycle locks for checkout. 

Within the Peninsula Library System, San Mateo County Libraries is the largest consortium and operates 13 library sites. 

The San Mateo County Libraries “Library of Things” provides residents with free access to items for fun, tech, nature or new hobbies that goes beyond what may be offered at other libraries. 

Board games and puzzles are available for reservation for a 21-day checkout — including classics like UNO or modern favorites like Exploding Kittens. 

Residents with a library card can also check out a bicycle, which comes with a bike lock, helmet, bike light, basket and mini-first aid kit. These are available for a seven-day checkout and are first come, first serve, and cannot be reserved ahead of time. 

To keep track of your health, residents are also able to check on blood pressure monitoring kits to track their readings with a personal log. These kits are loanable for three weeks and are available on a first come, first serve basis. 

A popular item up for grabs, county library members are able to check out San Mateo County and California State Park passes, granting free access to over 250 parks and nature reserves. These can be checked out for 21 days at a time, but cannot be reserved ahead of time. 

For the kids, a discover skills backpack features a toolkit of sensory toys, enrichment books and interactive activities to promote emotional intelligence and social skills. These backpacks are available for 21-day checkouts. 

For those interested in capturing memories and experimenting with fun technology, GoPro cameras are available for a 21-day checkout in a kit that includes a camera, tripod, microphone and camera mount. 

If there’s plans to go on a hike any time soon, residents are welcome to check out hiking backpacks, poles and junior explorer backpacks as rentable gear. 

The Explore Our Parks Pack comes with a California State Park pass, magnifying glass, binoculars, a hiking book, pamphlet on wildflowers, a flashlight, tick prevention kit and a sun aid kit. Hiking poles come in a variety of lengths and include boot tips for slippery surfaces, snow baskets and mud baskets. The Junior Explorer Backpacks are also well equipped with hiking gear and tools to learn more about the outdoors. All are available first come, first serve for a 21-day checkout. 

For the performers in training, karaoke machines and ukuleles are also available for checkout. The former is available for a seven-day period while ukulele players get 21 days to develop their skills. 

Video games for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are also now available for checkout. The SMCL system is even providing Nintendo Switch Lites for checkout as well. 

A tried-and-true staple across county libraries is each location’s free seed library, where seeds for vegetables, fruit, herbs and other plants are available. Residents are also welcome to donate any extra seeds to grow the library’s offerings. 

County libraries are operated in Atherton, Belmont, Brisbane, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Millbrae, North Fair Oaks, Pacifica, Portola Valley, San Carlos and Woodside. 

City public libraries, a part of the Peninsula Library System, are also located in Burlingame, Daly City, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Mateo and South San Francisco. 

What’s offered at libraries only continues to grow, with new innovative ways to provide residents with access to free tools, fun and resources added regularly. 

The latest addition to the San Mateo County Libraries catalog is focused on reading books, but the new “Book Club in a Bag” program is a unique way of bringing residents together and promoting community. 

Book Club in a Bag is a new lending kit that makes it easier for groups to borrow one title together. Each bag includes 10 copies of a selected title, two in large print, and a toolkit featuring discussion questions and tips on how to lead a book group. 

This addition is set to launch Thursday in honor of National Library Week. It was developed through the library system’s internal innovation program that invites staff to propose new ideas to better the libraries’ impact on residents. 

The initiative reflects a commitment of library staff to meeting the community’s needs in thoughtful ways, Anne-Marie Despain, director of San Mateo County Libraries, said in a press release Monday. 

“It makes it easier for people to connect, share ideas and build community through reading whether at home, in a library or anywhere people gather,” Despain said. 

Each of the 13 San Mateo County Libraries locations will offer kits as an initial pilot, and will be adapted based on community interest, the press release said. 

Belmont Mayor Julia Mates, who is also chair of the county’s Library Governing Board, said the addition at the Belmont Library will be widely enjoyed by residents. 

“Programs like this expand access, encourage connection and create welcoming opportunities for people to learn and engage with one another,” Mates said in the press release. 

All public library card memberships are free to sign up, and residents can register either in person or online. Residents may sign up for access to any public library, with limited check-out abilities, regardless of address, and receive increased access once addresses are confirmed.