Media Contact: Kate Patterson  
415-312-9685| Kate.Patterson@sfpl.org

SFPL was one of 262 systems throughout the country to earn the prestigious industry recognition

SAN FRANCISCO, December 22, 2020 – San Francisco Public Library received its first five-star rating from Library Journal (LJ) in its 13th annual review of U.S. public libraries. SFPL is one of 262 systems nationwide and one of only five large urban systems to receive this industry recognition.

“This five-star rating affirms that San Francisco Public Library’s services are a strong return on the City’s investment in their library system,” says City Librarian Michael Lambert. “I want to thank Library staff for all of their hard work in service to the community. They are the reason SFPL continues to be one of the nation’s premier urban libraries and the highest rated city department.”

The LJ Index is a national rating system designed to recognize and promote America’s public libraries, to help improve the pool of nationally collected library statistics, and to encourage library self-evaluation.

The LJ Index rates U.S. public libraries on the levels of library service delivery relative to peer libraries nationally with a specific focus on the per capita output measures for the following seven categories: physical circulation; circulation of electronic materials; library visits; program attendance; public internet computer use, including Wi-Fi sessions and use of online content such as databases. The 2020 Index derives from data recently released by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for FY18. This year, 5,608 U.S. public libraries qualified to be rated in the Index. In this edition, there are 262 Star Libraries, each receiving three-Star, four-Star, or five-Star designations.

For more information about the LJ Index of Star Libraries, visit America’s Star Libraries 2020 | Library Journal.