My 5 Favorite California Public Libraries (So Far)
By Terria Smith
(All photos by Terria Smith)
Libraries have been a core part of my existence for as long as I can remember. When I was a little girl, my mom would take me to our local library for story time. In the summer months, when Coachella Valley temperatures would reach beyond 100 degrees, we would go to our local public library – as a family – to get out of the heat when we didn’t have air conditioning in our home on the reservation. It was a cooling center providing a public service beyond just promoting literacy, as libraries do for so many people.
As I grew older, I still found myself in libraries. Sometimes the school library served as my sanctuary, especially when I was the new kid without friends. As a teen, a library bailed me out (so to speak) during my senior year when I was short on credits in high school. The Riverside County public library branch in Indio let me do some volunteer hours there so that I could graduate.
Today, more than ever, books are a part of my everyday life. I have worked in publishing for more than 10 years now. As a book and magazine editor, I have reviewed dozens of publications. And this past summer, I contributed my own work to the literary world when a travel memoir, titled I Love You So Many, that I wrote was published. And just as life would have guided it, none other than Library Journal gave it a stellar review!
Outside of my professional life, I decided this year to pursue the personal goal of making recreational reading a priority. I set my 2026 Goodreads Challenge to 48 books (or four books a month). To reach this, I often have a hard copy book, an e-book, as well as an audiobook going at the same time. To save on book buying costs, I have taken up the hobby of collecting library cards every time I am in a new place in the state to gain free access to digital books via apps such Libby and Hoopla. I also follow social media accounts of librarians and book influencers like Mychal Threets (the newest host of “Reading Rainbow,” a show I loved as a kid when actor Lavar Burton was the host). “Mychal The Librarian” keeps folks like me motivated by spreading “Library Joy!”
And since monitoring the pulse of the book world is part of my job, I have seen all over Instagram that September is “Library Card Sign-up Month.” Thus, I thought I would do my part as a self-declared geek, library card collector, and lifelong lover of books to enthusiastically contribute to the narrative.
So, here are five libraries that I’ve visited across our great state of California that I love the most (in alphabetical order):
A.K. Smiley Public Library (Redlands)
This library was built in the late 1800s and is full of character. The exterior is made of red brick and surrounded by beautiful gardens in a Victorian neighborhood in city of Redlands. I spent a lot of time in this place during the dreaded “Serra Era” (back in 2015 when Junipero Serra was being canonized as a saint) doing research on the California Mission system and its lasting harm against tribal peoples. California Native folks – this place has a pretty solid research center called The Heritage Room that has a lot of archival material that I personally found very valuable. On many other occasions, I have spent days just working and writing at the A.K. Smiley. The long wooden tables and pull string lamps in the study areas provide quite an inspiring environment. It feels all scholarly. Aye!
Los Angeles Central Library (Downtown Los Angeles)
My visit here overwhelmed me in the best way possible. I feared getting lost in the collections. It’s an enormous library with eight floors and two buildings. Apparently, it’s the fourth largest library in the country (behind the New York Public Library, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, and the Boston Public Library respectively). This place still has a lot of the “Roaring 20s” feel from when it was originally constructed. But in all honesty, my favorite feature to this place was The Library Store, which is run by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. It’s full of merch that would appeal to a lot of book enthusiasts.
Mill Valley Public Library (Mill Valley)
This place was recommended to me by a friend who grew up in Marin County while we were having a dinner conversation about “awesome libraries” this past summer. She pulled up the Mill Valley Public Library on Google Images. As soon as I saw the photos, I immediately made plans to go with friends. And being there in person did not disappoint. Huge floor to ceiling windows that overlook redwood trees, multiple floors, and a working fireplace in its main room. It’s so beautiful and its collections are very engaging.
Petaluma Regional Library (Petaluma)
This location made my list because it is the best example that I have encountered of how many ways libraries can and do serve the community. This library, part of the Sonoma County Library system, makes the effort to provide nearly all of its public communication materials in both English and Spanish. The Petaluma Regional Library offers free lunches for children every day that it’s open. They also have a vending machine with free essentials including personal sanitary items and emergency medical supplies. It has the best stocked “Friends of the Library” used bookstore I have ever been to. They even have a decent Native American section with lots of California tribally focused history books (both old and new). Finally, it has a very diverse section of books in multiple languages (North American Indigenous languages included, though I didn’t see any from California tribes… yet.).
Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory (Rancho Mirage)
I feel so fortunate to have this sleek state-of-the-art library within my ancestral homelands. It’s just a pleasant place to be with its big colorful fish tank and café, offering baked goods and coffee for sale. And that’s just the library part!
The campus also has a small observatory on site which offers free programs and tours for the public. Though, I must admit that I haven’t been there for star gazing yet – I’m saving this experience for a dream date with a worthy gentleman (who ideally will be a fellow bibliophile).
Honorable Mentions
Eureka Library (Eureka)
This is the main branch in the Humboldt County Library system. This big and cozy-looking building near downtown overlooks the Humboldt Bay. To me its most notable feature is the children’s room, which is huge and has an incredible section of books in multiple languages for kids.
Riverside Main Library (Riverside)
In my imagination, this place is what The Jetsons’ public library looks like with its futuristic and retro feel. To me, it is what the airport library of my dreams would be. In reality, it is actually right in the middle of a popular Inland Empire destination spot. It sits in downtown Riverside, just up the street from the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa (owned by the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation) and across the street from the very fun Tio’s Tacos.
