Budget Information: Fiscal Years 2022-23 & 2023-24

Budget Overview

Each year, the City and County of San Francisco approves by Ordinance the budget by department for the upcoming two fiscal years. On May 25, 2022, the San Francisco Public Library’s budget passed the Board of Supervisors Budget & Appropriations Committee pending the call of Chair Hillary Ronen for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. Of the City’s $13.9 billion budget for FY23, $186 million is appropriated for the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL). The budget funds our longstanding strategic priorities: our continuing commitment to excellence in our programming, partnerships, services and facilities.

The Library plays an important role as a resource hub and community connector. Through our annual budget process, we developed specific proposals this cycle to advance racial equity and enhance digital access. Furthermore, our department has worked to identify opportunities for investments that will support the City’s Economic Recovery, including capital investments to boost the local construction industry, stimulate job opportunities, and support the arts & cultural sector. The budget advances new investments to support the Library’s goals to improve equity in various ways, including focused collection acquisitions of BIPOC authors; upgrading public high speed internet access as well as making library resources more accessible with greater language diversity, latest assistive technologies and providing kits for hybrid and remote access to programming.

FY23 Budget vs. FY22 Budget

FY23 Budget
  • $186M
  • (including one-time $23M for capital)
FY22 Budget
  • $171M
  • (including one-time $16M for capital)
% of increase FY23 vs. FY22
  • 8.5%

FY24 Budget vs. FY23 Budget

FY24 Budget
  • $187M
  • (including one-time $21M for capital)
FY23 Budget
  • $186M
  • (including one-time $23M for capital)
% of Increase FY24 vs. FY23
  • 0.6%

Three Year Budget Comparison by Program

FY22 to FY24 Budget Comparison by Program  (in Millions)

Budget Priorities

Premiere Urban Library

Premier Urban Library

Fosters a connected community through shared experiences, equitable access to quality resources, an inclusive environment

Literacy & Learning

Provides robust collections, resources, services, and programs that support reading and address the changing literacy and learning needs of the 21st century

Youth Engagement

Enriches youth with early literacy programs, summer learning activities, homework help, outreach to schools, and teen services with emphasis on technology access and media literacy

Digital Strategies

Ensures equitable access to public technology and resources

Partnerships for Excellence

Enables city agencies and community-based organizations to leverage the Library’s resources, strengthens the services and programs offered, and helps reach larger audiences

Facilities & Infrastructure

Ensures the Library’s buildings and systems are high-quality and ready to meet service demands

Strong Library Collections

The Library commits approximately 13 percent of its operating budget each fiscal year from FY20 to FY24 to collections in various formats and multiple languages to support our diverse community. Enhancements are responsive to usage data and community requests. Print books remain the primary material format for patrons.

13% on average of annual operating budget Collection in various formats and multiple languages Substantial budget increase in eResources

Collection Budget  FY 20 - FY 24

Library Commission Budget Discussion