Everybody needs friends...

...and the Library is no exception!

The Friends of the San Antonio Public Library help keep us going. Their mission is to promote public use of the library and appreciation of its great value to the community. They provide everything from monetary donations to volunteers to assist with library activities throughout the city. Most branch libraries have their own Friends groups who also help out with specific projects at those libraries.

Now there's a new group getting started: The Friends of the Central Library. If you think of the Central Library as "your" library, you're invited to join the Central Friends. Adult memberships start as low as $15 a year, and your funds and your efforts go to support the work of the San Antonio Public Library.

For more information on how to join the Friends of the Central Library, please call 207-2829.

The San Antonio Public Library is growing!

The Stone Oak area is one of San Antonio's fastest-growing communities, and the San Antonio Public Library is growing too, so we can provide service to these new neighborhoods!

At 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 12, District 9 City Council Representative Elisa Chan will be joined by representatives from the City Manager's office, the Library Board of Trustees, and Library management for a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off construction for the new Parman Branch Library at Stone Oak, located at 20735 Wilderness Oak.

Scheduled to open in early 2011, the 15,000-square-foot library will include a children's area, a teen section, and a community meeting room. Like all branches of the San Antonio Public Library, the branch will offer computers and internet access, Wi-Fi service, a broad range of programs for all ages, and, of course, books, magazines, newspapers and digital resources.

Stay on the lookout for more information about this great new branch library!

San Antonio Public Library virtual collection grows with "Local and Regional History Online"

Local and Regional History Online tells the story of America through the words and images of Arcadia Publishing's award-winning collection of local history titles. History comes alive at a level of detail not often seen, through such titles as Fort Lauderdale in Vintage Postcards and Cleveland's Gospel Music. All told, the ebook collection contains 157,000 pages and 255,000 images, which are fully browsable and searchable by time, place, person and more.

You can also browse our entire database collection and get magazine and newspaper articles, find new customers for your business, locate your ancestors in Census records, connect to a live, online tutor and much more.

We're back! Central Library re-opens on December 28

The Central Library, 600 Soledad, is scheduled to reopen on Monday, December 28, on its regular schedule, after being closed for two weeks to allow work on the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and repairs to roof and deck drains. This work was part of the ongoing Central Library weatherization project.

The Central Library’s operating hours are:
Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

The Friends of the San Antonio Public Library Book Cellar used book store will remain closed until January 4, 2010.

The javaNook Café on the ground floor of the Central Library will be open December 28-31, closing January 1, 2010, for New Year’s Day, and reopening Saturday, January 2, 2010.

For more information, the public may call (210) 207-2500 or visit www.mysapl.org.

Central Library to close for two weeks

The Central Library, 600 Soledad, will be closed to the public for two weeks, December 14 through December 27, to allow work on the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and repairs to roof and deck drains. The work is a phase in the ongoing Central Library weatherization project.

During the closure, library patrons who have placed materials on hold and requested that they be delivered to the Central Library will be able to pick their items up from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the library entrance on Soledad Street.

Borrowed items may be returned to the book drop by the Central Library entrance, or at any other San Antonio Public Library location. They may also be renewed online on the Library web page, by phone at (210) 207-6121 (toll-free 1-866-432-8950), or in person at any San Antonio Public Library branch.

A San Antonio Public Library card may be used at any San Antonio Public Library location. The libraries nearest the Central Library are:

San Pedro Branch Library
1315 San Pedro Avenue
(210) 733-1454

Landa Branch Library
233 Bushnell Avenue
(210) 732-8369

A list of all branch libraries can be found on the San Antonio Public Library web page.

The javaNook Café at the Central Library entrance will remain open for business during the closure, as will the library parking garage.

For more information, the public may call (210) 207-2500 or visit the Library's web page.

Just in time for holiday shopping!

Forget Black Friday - get ready for 50% Monday...and Tuesday, and Wednesday and Thursday and...! From Monday, November 30, through Sunday, December 6, everything in the Book Cellar will be on sale for 50% off!

Shop for holiday relaxation reading for yourself, or pick up gifts for everyone on your list, from kids to teens to adults. You'll find books, movies and music, all at half price.

Operated by the Friends of the San Antonio Public Library, the Book Cellar is located in the basement of the Central Library, 600 Soledad. Operating hours are 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Sunday. The Book Cellar is open from 11:00 a.m. t0 7:00 p.m. on Thursdays.

Proceeds from sales at the Book Cellar benefit the San Antonio Public Library, so stop by this week to pick up some bargains and help your library at the same time!

Are you a movie buff? Looking for the first season of "Pushing Daisies"?

Your San Antonio Public Library card is a free ticket to a world of entertainment! Whether you're a fan of Bogart and Bacall or Ferrell and Sandler, the Library has movies and TV programs available for checkout at no charge - and you can keep them for up to one week and renew your checkout period for an additional week if you need to! Even easier, in some cases you can download video to your MP3 device.

To find out what's available, just go to the San Antonio Public Library webpage, http://www.mysapl.org/. Items on DVD or VHS can be found in the online catalog. (If what you're looking for isn't available at your branch library, put it on hold and it will be sent to you at the location you specify.) To see what the downloadable offerings are, click on "Services" at the top of the page, then scroll down to the "Digital Downloads" section.

If you need help, you can always call our general information line at (210) 207-2500.

Happy viewing!