Library Board


The current San Mateo Public Library Board Members are Rick Lenat (President), Richard Wysong (Vice President), Mitra Haddad (Secretary), Albert Acena, and Dildar Gill Pisani. Like all Library Board Members they are appointed by the City Council. They serve as advisors to the City Librarian, City Manager, and the Council. Once appointed they serve a four year term and can serve a second term. Their main duty is to oversee policies of the Library.

In 1884 a precursor to this body began with the incorporation of the San Mateo Library Association and its subsequent selection of eleven directors. However, following financial problems the City took the place of the Library Association in 1899. A tax was then levied to support a free public library.

The Annual Report of 1912 lists five Trustees of the Library. They included the President, Charles M. Morse and the following individuals G.W. Hall, Julia P. Johns, W.M. Roberts, and E. M. Doane. They offer quite a contrast from the current Board Members which is much more diverse. These individuals provided guidance and advise to the librarian and were made up of prominent community members.

Facilities - Old



In 1907 the San Mateo Public Library finally had its own building. Following the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 the building housing the library, "Library Hall", was badly damaged by the tremor. City officials applied for a grant from the Carnegie Foundation, wanting to have a self-contained building for the library. The old building had been a multi-use one, thus limiting library space. Their petition was approved by Carnegie and they were granted an initial $10,000. However, an additional $2,500 was given following the earthquake.

The new library was designed by a San Francisco architectural firm (Cox & Cox). It was located on 2nd Avenue on land purchased by the city (its value was $7000 in 1912). After the lessons learned by the 1906 earthquake the building was constructed of reinforced concrete with stone columns. The San Mateo Woman's Club held fundraisers in order to furnish the library. They donated most of the $2,164 needed to do this. The furniture was described as being solid oak furniture.

A description of the library setting is in the San Mateo Public Library's Annual Report of 1912 (in the President's Address) as follows:

A shady little park with rustic seats on the northerly side of the building is an inviting resting place from which a rustic bridge over the creek leads to the high school and a pathway leads to the grammar school and along the parked creek bank.

The President's Address goes on to say that the close proximity of the library to several schools would be beneficial to the students. Providing them with opportunities to learn and to improve their minds. As the report states, We want more juvenile books suitable to guide, stimulate active thought, and hold the interest of the young in proper channels (1912).

As can be seen in the photo above. The San Mateo Public Library has some of the elements found in a classic Carnegie library, with its impressive facade. The information desk could be found as a focal point in the main room of the library. Window placement follows the guidelines suggested by the Carnegie Foundation. They are large windows, but still allow room for shelving underneath.

Without the Carnegie grant the SMPL would have waited for years before a separate library building could have been completed. Even with the implementation of a tax, the first year only generated just over $400. Chances are it would have remained in shared facilities, unless another donor had come along.

Early Statistics

The San Mateo Public Library in 1912 kept detailed statistics on the circulation of their collection. They were categorized by subject and type, which would have been a time consuming endeavor without the use of computers. There was a total of 3,126 non fiction volumes checked out. Adult fiction was the most popular item, with 12,610 volumes. Juvenile fiction was also more popular than nonfiction (3,598 vs. 549). Total circulation of all items was 22,046. Trends have not changed over time, since fiction is still more popular than nonfiction.

There were a total number of 899 library cards, according to the statistics. Other figures were for new cards issued, as well as those that had expired. The librarian and her assistant must have been very busy with assisting patrons and keeping such detailed records.

For such a small library they did not do a bad job in acquiring new material. They were able to purchase 461 new books and 65 new books were donated.

One final statistic provided was a breakdown of the library's contents. Again, this was listed by category. The total number of circulating volumes was 5,874.

Passport Services



As in many libraries, an extensive array of services are provided. The SMPL takes it a step further by offering a highly unusual service that is not usually provided in a library. There is a passport service office and customers are able to apply for a U.S. passport. This is a great convenience because the typical process for a passport application is either by mail or waiting in a long line at designated U.S Post Office branches. For added convenience passport photos may also be taken in this office at a reasonable cost.

Origins


The history of the San Mateo Public Library began when the Ladies of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church determined that there was a need for forming a library. This was done to provide a reading room for the local residents. One wealthy resident, Antoine Borel, gave a small empty lot for the library. It was located near the railroad station. After the formation of the San Mateo Library Association fund raising efforts began to finance a building. Library Hall was completed in 1885 at a cost of $12,000. Only one room was dedicated for library use and it did not open until 1887. The rest of the building served several functions, including retail space. The next few years the library was primarily just a reading room.

One prominent member of the community, Charles Kirkbride (City Attorney) lobbied town trustees for a public library. He drew up the enabling papers so that the City took over from the Library Association. It was then that a formal public library began to come together. The San Mateo Public Library opened in 1899. The town trustees also authorized the purchase of a 4,160 volume collection from the Knights of Pythias Library in San Francisco. This was added to the existing collection of 451 volumes. However, it still shared a building with other government offices though. The goal was still to have a dedicated library building and to do this the city created a four cent on every $100 of taxable property. Only $472 had been collected in the first year, so a new library building would not be possible in the near future.

The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 turned out to be a propitious event for the Library. An application had been made to the Carnegie Foundation for a stand alone library building in 1905. Not only was the application approved, but additional funds were forthcoming following the earthquake. The Carnegie Library opened in 1907 and stood on the corner of 2nd Avenue and San Mateo Drive from its opening until 1966. Over the years there were several expansions to the building, but it still became overcrowded. Due to the lack of space older volumes were supplanted to make way for new books. The result was an incomplete collection. Unfortunately, it was torn down to make way for a parking lot rather than trying to preserve this historic building.

Given a comment made in 1876 by Frederic B. Perkins in Public Libraries in the United States, "Women should be employed as librarians and assistants as far as possible, as the nature of the duties is to a great extent, and in many cases, suited to them", San Mateo seems to have taken his advise. Their first two employees of the new public library were women.

The trustees for the new Carnegie Library were Charles M. Morse (President), George W. Hall, Julia Peyton Johns, W.M. Roberts, and Ella M. Doane. One person missing was the library's early and strongest advocate, Charles Kirkbride. However, this can be explained because he was probably preoccupied. He had become a member of the California National Guard in 1911 (the same time period as these trustees) and eventually served in WW I. In addition, Kirkbride was a successful local attorney (including his period as City Attorney). His biography clearly shows his dedication to the community. He has lived and labored to worthy ends and as one of the sterling citizens and representative professional men of his community is eminently worthy of specific mention in the annals of his county (History of San Mateo County, 1928).

Facilities - New



In 1994 a library committee and the San Mateo Public Library Foundation were formed. Their goal was to find the funding for a new main library branch, since the existing library was overcrowded. A bond measure was finally passed in 1999 and it provided $30 million for a new main branch library. Several years later the old main branch closed and it was moved to a temporary location. Then in 2006 the new main branch officially opened.

The new main branch is a visually pleasing building, both inside and outside. The photo above illustrates this, it is a view of the Periodical Reading Lounge In addition, it has many green building features. These are showcased in their Green Living Center. There is a model of the library that can be viewed here.

SMPL Carnegie Grant


Due to overcrowded conditions in the existing library building, the City made a request in 1907 to Andrew Carnegie for additional funding. This was accepted and they were awarded a total of $12,500 (the award was increased following the 1906 earthquake). Furnishings and shelving for the library was paid for by donations. It would have taken many more years to build a city library without the grant funding. The old library building was a shared facility and was not an adequate library for a growing town.

Social Libraries




The history of libraries in California followed a distinct pattern. First of all there were the Social Libraries and they were prevalent from about 1849-1878. Coincidentally, they initially were inspired by the Gold Rush period. It was a period of California history when there was a great influx of people arriving in the state. Once the Gold Rush period passed these libraries decreased in number, with the exception of the libraries in San Francisco. Also, during the same time period there was a rise in special types of public libraries. These libraries included the following: academic and special (Military Library, California Academy of Natural Sciences, law libraries, etc.) libraries. governmental and institutional libraries, district school libraries, Sunday school Libraries, YMCA and Temperance Reading Rooms, Odd Fellows' Libraries, Lodge and Club Libraries, and commercial libraries (circulating libraries). The influence of Easterners, who were accustomed to public libraries, helped stimulate interest in founding libraries in California.

It was not until 1877-1878 that a strong statewide public library movement took place in California. This period was when California Library Legislation came into effect. The first strong piece of legislation was the Rogers Act of 1877. Even though it was only in effect for two years (it was replaced by a new law then), it paved the way for local authorities to create and maintain libraries in their communities.

The social libraries during this period were more limited than the public libraries that we know in more recent times. However, they did set the stage for their evolutionary development. Most librarians of this era were glorified clerks. They were not as highly valued as the professionals of today. No training programs were available to them in this earlier time period.

San Mateo was a bit backward in this regard. They did not create a reading room until 1883. It was a woman's group that were the initiators. Their motivation was guided by their desire to provide wholesome entertainment to the young, so they would not be tempted by less savory amusements. The city did not actually establish a public library until 1899.

However, it was not until the Carnegie Library in 1907 that the city received its own separate public library space.