What’s In at San Mateo County Libraries in 2024

At the library, we’re always one to break the mold. Finding what’s “cool” means finding what most feels like you.

Still, we thought it would be fun to chime in about what’s in and what’s out at the library. Hint: using free resources and celebrating intellectual freedom is in. Forgetting about the library and all we have to offer is out!

Read on to explore everything you can access with your library card, in 2024 and beyond.

In

• Listening to audiobooks for free on Libby
• Visiting State and County Parks free with library passes
• Borrowing a bicycle to ride
• Singing along at storytime
• Karaoke nights at home
• Mindfulness meditations with Calm
• Celebrating local authors
• Visiting museums
• Following @smclibraries on Instagram, opens a new window, Facebook, opens a new window and X (formerly Twitter), opens a new window

Out

• Not having a library card
• Being wasteful
• Banning books
• Paying for things you can borrow for free
• Audiobook subscriptions you forget you have
• Judging people’s reading choices
• Making library resources hard to reach
• Misinformation

How to Keep Up With the Library

There is always so much happening at the library and so many resources available year-round it's almost hard to know about all you can access. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your library card and keeping up with what's happening at San Mateo County Libraries.

• Subscribe to our eNewsletter Our eNewsletter comes to your inbox every other week, highlighting upcoming events, recommended reads and new offerings we'll be bringing to you. By subscribing, you'll be up to date on the latest. If you're already subscribed, make sure to choose your preferences and interests for when we start sending personalized messages in the future!
• Read our blogs Some of our blogs are featured in our newsletter, but there are even more on our website. New blogs come out every month, written by our staff! They cover upcoming events, awesome resources, recommended reads and new programs coming.
• Check our events calendar We host thousands of events each year across our 13 locations. Peruse our events calendar to see what's scheduled!
• Follow us on social If you're not already following us on Facebook, opens a new window, Instagram, opens a new window and X, formerly known as Twitter, it's a great place to see what we're up to at the libraries.