You may borrow an item for 21 days. Most items are eligible for up to 5 auto renewals of an additional 21 days each. See exceptions below, including LINK+ and InterLibrary Loan items.

Auto Renew
Eligible items renew automatically 2 days before the due date. If you select email as your notice preference , the Library will notify you of the new due date.

Renew Online
You can renew materials online by logging in to your library card account:

Library Cards Fee
California residents Free
Visitors from outside CA     $10.00
   
Lost / Damaged items  
replacement varies

Desktop computers you can reserve have the following programs:

Patrons will find wireless networks at all buildings in the San Francisco Public Library system. 

Connecting to the network requires a mobile device with a wireless Internet card that supports the WiFi standard.

Configure your device to automatically accept an IP address by Right clicking "My Network Places/Network Neighborhood."

Finding Library Hot Spots

Every computer on the reservation system provides access to the Internet and Office 2016. Click here for a complete list of software.

Each computer also has USB ports for using flash (jump) drives. When reserving a computer, choose between the following PC types:

        Desktop
        Laptop (at selected Branches)

Staff will assist Library users in getting started on the Internet. We offer limited assistance with basic Internet and word processing tasks; however, SFPL cannot guarantee that staff trained in all aspects of Internet or Word Processing will be available to assist users at all times. Staff is not able to offer extensive explanations about the Internet or personal computer use or provide in-depth training. Time permitting, staff will try to answer specific questions about the Internet and offer suggestions for effective searching.

Using Chinese Characters on Library Computers

在圖書館電腦上輸入中文字的步驟
-From the taskbar, click on EN and select CH for Chinese input mode (for Catalog search, Internet search, or word processing).
在工作列中，點擊 EN 並選擇 CH 中文輸入模式。
-The default Chinese input method is PinYin. 
預設的中文輸入法是拼音輸入法。
-For more Chinese characters with the same sound, press the space bar and then the down arrow key to select the character wanted.
如使用拼音輸入法，請按空白鍵 再按向下箭頭，選擇您所要的同音字。
-Press Alt+Shift to change back to English mode.
同時按下Alt和Shift 鍵，轉換成英文輸入法。

Information about Assistive Technology , which helps people with disabilities use computers, is available on the Library's Accessibility Services webpage. 

Downloading & Saving Documents

Library users may save their work onto any USB-compatible storage device. Documents and software cannot be downloaded or saved onto Library PCs, including the desktop. To download or save files, please bring your own USB device (e.g. jump drive or thumb drive).

How Long?

You may borrow for up to 21 days. Most items are eligible for up to 5 renewals of 21 days each.
Holds ready-for-pickup are available for 10 days.

How Many?

Limits on DIGITAL items for all SFPL Library Cards:

-Overdrive / Libby   borrow 25 || hold 15
-Hoopla  instant borrow per month 30 || flex borrow 10 || hold 10 
-Kanopy tickets per month 30