Barks and Books Elementary school children are invited to the San Marino Public Library to practice their reading skills by reading a book to Scarlett, a gentle dachshund. This special program is made possible by volunteers of the Pasadena Humane Society. This exciting event takes place on Saturday, April 21st at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 21st, at 11:30 a.m..

National Library Week - April 15th-21st

Come celebrate National Library Week with us at the San Marino Public Library!!! Join us on Saturday, April 21st at 2:00 p.m. to enjoy an exciting and spectacular magic show. Children will be delighted as Monique the Magic genie demonstrates mind boggling magic while encouraging a love of books and the library!

Library Construction Cost Going Down!

Nearing the halfway point, the construction of the new San Marino Public Library continues on schedule. But the projected spending for the project has actually dropped! Savings in the cost of technology and furnishings (over $830 thousand) along with donations of service from Nu-Way Disposal (almost $31 thousand) have knocked almost nine hundred thousand dollars off of previous budget projections. This reduces the program budget from $17.2 million down to $16.3 million.

"The greatest thing about these savings is that the price is dropping without changing the scope of work," notes City Manager Matt Ballantyne.

Private citizens have already donated over half of the cost of this public structure. Once the Library Foundation meets its fundraising goal, the generous gifts of private donors will eventually cover two-thirds of the expense to complete our community's state-of-the-art library and meeting place that is scheduled to open next January.

Library Movie Screening

You’ve read the book, now see the movie! Join us at the San Marino Public Library on Thursday, April 5th at 2:00 p.m. We will be screening the latest release about a boy who loves chocolate and the silly man who makes it.

Tree Tops New Library!

San Marino Public Library holds traditional “Topping Out” celebration as last steel beam is hoisted atop new facility.

Those recently driving down Huntington Drive in San Marino might have done a double take and wondered what fraternity or practical joker was behind the prank when they spied a tree – yes, a tree – atop the new facility currently under construction for the San Marino Public Library. But the tree was there because it was supposed to be – as part of a time-honored tradition among ironworkers called “Topping Out.”

This milestone celebrates the placing of the final, top piece of steel on a new building, explained Alex Main, Construction Manager for Bernard’s Construction Management. As tradition demands, an American flag was raised along with the tree and the final beam was painted white, so that the members of Ironworkers Union 433 and over 200 visiting dignitaries could sign it.

Guests included Dr. Matthew Lin, Mayor of San Marino; City Manager Matt Ballantyne; architects from Harley Ellis Devereaux, which designed the new library; City department heads and city employees; members of the San Marino Unified School Board; representatives from the San Marino Public Library’s Board of Trustees and Foundation; Friends of the San Marino Public Library; and five of the six City Council candidates. Even a Humanities class from Southwestern Academy in San Marino took a short field trip to join the crowd as well.

“It was a wonderful, perfect opportunity for the students to watch local history in the making,” said Carolyn Crain, City Librarian. “But what I, myself, will remember most, for years to come, is all the positive energy and support that surrounded us.”

In fact, there was so much support from the community that City police opted to close Huntington Drive briefly, to allow the crowd to cross to the median to watch the “topping out” of the final beam.

As is often the case on larger projects like the new 29,000 square foot San Marino Public Library – which will include such amenities as a Lifelong Learning Center, Children’s Library, Reference and Technology Area, Community Meeting Room and Chinese Collection – the “Topping Out” ceremony included an outdoor lunch for the crew and guests, compliments of Bernards, prior to the placement of the last beam at 2 p.m.

Get Expert Search Help

When you want help with finding a book, you ask a librarian. Easy. But did you know that you can ask a librarian to help you find a website? Yes! Librarians are experts at finding the best, most reliable websites to help answer any questions. Think of them as “Level 60 Shamans” in the "World of Searchcraft”.

How can you find a librarian to ask a question? Call us during our open hours (noon to 5, Monday through Thursday and Saturday) at 300-0777. Or, send us an email: smpl@CityofSanMarino.org. Or, chat with a librarian any time of day or night by clicking the “AskNow” button on our web page: http://sanmarinopl.org.

Tax Filing Deadline

“Tax Day” will be April 16 this year (the 15th is a Sunday), so there is under a month remaining to get those taxes done. With online filing becoming more prevalent, the options are even more plentiful. The San Marino Public Library cannot write your payment check, nor can the library staff tell you how to fill out your forms, but we can supply you with free copies of both state and federal booklets, as well as many of the basic forms. If you are looking for a form that we don’t have, we can help you find forms on the Internet and print them for ten cents each.

If you want to obtain the form from the Internet yourself, you can go to http://www.irs.gov and click on “Forms and Publications” and then “Form and instruction number”. If you need any help finding a form, or if you want to know if the Library has free copies of the forms and instructions you need, call the library at (626) 300-0777 and ask for the reference desk.