For students

This spring, we’re expanding Wellness Weeks throughout the Library. All the end-of-semester support we usually pack into the Events Room (LIB 121) will instead be spread around the building starting the week before finals.

Here's what we have planned:

• Study break stations on multiple floors — look for the signs!

• Free snacks for all SFSU students near the Book Checkout & Pickup Desk

• Crafternoon-style crafting pop-ups

• Info hubs with research tips and campus support resources on the first and second floors

• Visiting therapy dogs on May 12 — details below!

Summer hours begin in June

During the week of Memorial Day, May 26 – 29, we will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

As of June 1, we will switch to our summer schedule:

• Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Friday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. 
• Saturday and Sunday: closed 

Services at the Book Checkout & Pickup Desk will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

For summer-session research assistance, talk to a peer mentor anytime the desk is open. You can also make an appointment to consult with a librarian of your choice online or on campus, or use our chat system to ask a librarian your questions anytime — no bots here!

Check hours for specific days or services: SFSU Library Hours

Correction

An earlier version of this page listed the Library’s summer hours incorrectly. We fixed the mistake Tuesday, May 19. 

Puzzles on display 

Discover our puzzle collection, now on display on the back side of the New Arrivals shelf near the Book Checkout & Pickup Desk. 

Puzzles are available to work on in the Library or check out and take home for up to seven days. Don’t see one you like? We have even more behind the desk, so feel free to ask for other options! 

Request new books from the Library 

This semester, we are inviting students to request materials for Course Reserves. Want us to purchase your course’s required reading and make it available for checkout at no cost to you? Place a request online and we will follow up and see what we can do! 

Faculty members can still use our course reserves request form for courses they teach.

Learn more about course reserves in the Library.

Gator Giving Day, March 18

Follow your Library @sfstatelibrary on Instagram for matching challenges and more! 

Before you buy your books, check at your Library! You can search in our Course Reserves list or in OneSearch for your professor, course code, or book title.

Although we can't get a copy of every textbook, we work with the bookstore and the Disability Programs & Resource Center each semester to create a list of all the required books and course materials that we do have for you to use.

Most ebooks on the list can be used by many students at once from anywhere. We always buy ebooks with an unlimited-user license when we can! Other ebooks are limited to one, two, or three users at a time, so they might be unavailable when you try to access them. In that case, check back a little later! 

Sometimes you can download a chapter or even the full text to read offline. Other ebooks and articles can only be read online.

Our Course Reserves list also includes print books and other physical materials that we keep behind the desk for students to borrow for a few hours or a few days. These short-term loans allow many students to use a single item, and the loan period is set by the professor. 

Not finding what you need? Ask a librarian for help!

Other places to look for free books:

• San Francisco Public Library: Get free access to audiobooks, ebooks, traditional hard-copy books, movies, music, printing, museum passes, and more! 
• California's Bookshelf: Use the free Palace app to read thousands of ebooks and audiobooks thanks to a California State Library program.
• Project Connect Book Loan: This Associated Students program supplies free textbooks to SFSU students. Fill out an application at the start of each fall or spring semester.