San Diego Public Library – La Jolla/Riford Branch Library

Riford sweet Riford. What a great little local Library. Pleasant Staff, all sorts of interesting Community Events and activities (free or at ridiculously reasonable prices) plus really up to date reading material. I can usually find any hot new book here or order online and pick it up in short time. Aside from the killer selection of books and magazines, pleasant environment and Staff there’s 3D printing, Art, Qigong, Chamber Music, Ikebana, Movies and more.

our favorite local library (we live in pb). nice sized children’s section. could be some more parking.

We absolutely love and treasure this library. The staff is just wonderful — Bill, Susan, Dennis, Justin, Shaun, Teri, everyone! There are great programs in place for adults and children alike. My kids love the library staff almost as much as they love the books and activities — they have become a part of our extended family and we look forward to seeing them each week. We are very lucky, grateful and truly appreciative of the library and staff who really care about their community.

New head librarian seems to have brought a reinvigorated level of service. The staff is very pleasant and helpful. There is usually an interesting exhibit in the gallery. Free monthly movie and popcorn attracts a full house. Always great selection of books for sale run by the volunteer Friends of the Library. Check for new extended hours. Lovely historic building. Well used and cherished by the neighborhood.

This is my favorite library because it’s convenient for me and it’s quaint. I use to study here a lot and it’s much better to come here on weekdays and maybe sundays. If you’re coming here to study when it’s more quiet — avoid after school hours and saturdays.

I love this library. I like to go upstairs and sit in the cubicles bc it’s pretty quiet up there. It’s small and classy.

It’s a good library. The regular staff is outstanding. But, you’ve got to do something about the transients outside the library. They are growing in numbers and for the most part harmless. However, one day by daughter was leaving with her toddler and infant. The toddler was having a melt down (not unusual for this age) and she was having trouble getting him to cooperate and get in the car. The transient came close to her and began screaming and shouting that she was an abusive mother and someone should call the police. She felt verbally attacked and was helpless to get away from him and his ranting as her child was also not cooperating by getting into the car.

I used to like this library. But it seems like most of the staff is really unfriendly… one librarian acted really put out when I asked to pay my late fee. Also, don’t try to pick up your hold at 4:55 when they close at 5.

Great library for me and my family. The only possible improvement necessary is the Asian librarian at the checkout desk. Oh my goodness, so unfriendly and grumpy!
Great things about this library:
— Bill — the librarian that sits at the children’s section. Bill is super helpful and puts forth extra effort to make children’s experience at the library very positive. Bill is also the person that sponsors the weekly Lego Builders Club. The kids love it!
— Sunday Chess Club. It is organized by a very intelligent and kid friendly high school student and her parents. The kids learn a lot and have lots of fun. We need more girl players though.
— Selection of books is awesome. And what they do not have, they’ll gladly help you order
— Atmosphere — excellent. The children’s section is off on its own in a corner of the library so even if the kiddos are a bit noisy at times, the noise doesn’t bother other visitors. The chairs here are cozy and comfortable. Love the upstairs for some quiet magazine reading time.
— summer reading programs are awesome. We participate every summer
— parking — ample parking. I almost never have any issues finding parking

Such a mess. I took my toddler, hoping to find a rainy day place for us to visit. The baby/​toddler area has big kid books at toddler level, so I couldn’t let her explore any of the shelves for fear of her ripping the pages.
We tried to get library cards and after twenty minutes of the person at the desk not being able to figure out how to issue them to is we left.
Both arriving and leaving we had to walk through a cloud of smoke from the transients sitting outside the front door.
We won’t be back.

San Diego Public Library in La Jolla is great. It’s comfy, quiet, well lit, and clean. I’ve been coming here fairly regularly for about 2 months, since I work with special needs kids and they love coming here to check out all the cool books. The staff here are always friendly and I’ve never had any trouble of any kind, even to find parking on the busiest of days. (Street is easy, otherwise the lot to the side is a good option too)
The layout is fairly simple. The bottom floor is magazines and old books for sale, with plenty of chairs and tables for students to study at. The second floor is the cozier part, with carpet floor, big skylights and your book sections. The library also offers wifi for free which is expected but of course nice. My favorite part of the place is how many hidden chairs and corners there are. Take an afternoon and come journal in one of the super comfy armchairs upstairs, or read up on the newest 6pack workout from men’s health magazine and then snap a picture of it so you can do it at home (shhhh! Lol).
Either way, it’s a great hideout in la Jolla for tired feet and hungry minds. I’d give it 5 but I think the library is just barely small and the lobby is ugly lol

Great spot to study or just get work done, beautiful space with nice light. I also love the balcony on the second floor. Good book selection too! Be sure to check the hours before you come because they are different pretty much every day of the week.

I love this library; it’s stunningly beautiful, retro, and yet modern. I can’t believe such a terrific place is free to the public. The original tiles are magnificent, and the library is a structural gem. I am a fan.
I enjoy classes at this library, as well as films and author lectures.
The reason I am hesitant to give this library a five-​star rating is because of the front desk staff. Not so friendly, not so eager. I WAS treated nicely today by one lady (thank you, if you’re reading this), but the other two women (speaking English with various accents) were downright unfriendly. Plus, they were bickering and I heard it. Sigh.
In summary, I LOVE coming to the La Jolla Riford Public Library, it’s terrific. I just wish some of the ladies at the front were warm, welcoming and understood the value of excellent customer service, THAT would score this place a five-​star rating.

This is the best library I’ve been to. Everything is clean looking. They host a lot of different events for people with different interests. They have pretty neat decorations like the rocking horse by the children’s area.

My daughter’s favorite place! The kid’s area has an amazing selection that is imaginative, creative and just Fun for Kids! The DVD collection is incredible! We found a 1975, copy of Chuck Jones produced and directed animated Rikki-​Tikki-​Tavi! We love our Library!

I came here to get out of my home office and do some work on a comic book that I’d been working on. This was the perfect place for it! It was so nice and so peaceful. There are plenty of places to hole up and get stuff done. I got myself a table and spread out my pencils and my sketchbook and totally rocked out my ideas.
It seems to have a nice variety of literature too. When I took breaks, I walked the stacks to check out the inventory.
It’s air conditioned properly and just spacious. I will be back!

I hope that local La Jollans love this place as much as I do!
Fantastic DVD and film collection. Free rentals with your library card. Don’t have to wait for Netflix, they have a good selection. Going in and actually having to find the movie does bring some «old school» feel back into the whole «looking for movies» like we did in the past instead of using our XBOX or remote to either order or download the movie. Just something classic about it.
They have a lot of great local events here! They show films on certain nights, showcase musical talent, have ikebana (flower arranging), story telling for kids etc…
They have lots of computers for the community members to come in and learn computer skills as well as use the internet. I see a lot of people utilizing those services.
There children’s collection has a multitude of books and I always see supportive parents going in and introducing them to the magical world of reading, imagination and creativity! As a teacher, I often use a lot of their juvenile books and their SAT II and AP curriculum and practice books. I have been able to do a lot of lesson planning based around what I have borrowed from this library.
Downstairs, there is a study corner with cubicles if you want a quiet environment. I have also used their conference rooms to grade and to work on projects when I was in the credential program. They do have FREE WIFI, which is fantastic and a lot of their desks have plug ins.
I love the patio! I go in there to grade a lot. It has a fireplace and fantastic lighting. There is also another patio on the second floor when its nice and sunny.
The clerks have always been super nice and helpful! I love this library. The bathrooms are nice as well. It’s located in a nice location, close to the La Jolla Tennis Club and Bishops School. I see lots of kids from high school, middle school and even UCSD using this library to its full potential.
Hours change a lot, so double check their website. Also, they are open on Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 P.M. This has helped me a lot! You can renew your books online so have your card handy. I have checked out a lot of great CD’s here as well.

I often need to study in 3 – 4 hour stretches uninterrupted as a student. This is what I love about this place:
— wifi is fast, lots of comfortable seating areas
— there’s a balcony where you can go outside and get a breeze of ocean air
— walking distance to a bunch of cute shops when you’re finally sick of studying

This place saves me hundreds of dollars a year! They have a wonderful selection of DVDs and books on tape. I never go to Blockbuster, nor do I buy books anymore… I come here, pick up a book on CD, and put it on my Ipod to listen to while driving. This library is exceptional at getting children interested in reading and they hold many free events.
If you live in LJ and aren’t taking advantage of your library you are truely missing out!

Great library. It’s huge (two levels) and the book collection is spaced out amongst the levels. I think it’s one of the few branches that really reflects the neighborhood it’s in. It must have gotten a huge donation or grant because it’s possibly the nicest-​looking library outside and inside within the entire San Diego system. The thing that really sets apart the La Jolla/​Riford branch is its incredible CD and DVD collection. It is probably the first branch to receive any new DVDs because it’s usually the only branch to have the latest released DVDs. For example, it was the only place where the seventh and final season of The West Wing was available to borrow when the DVDs had just been released to the retailers a year before. Its collection of both CDs and DVDs is large — probably the largest in the system — and conveniently organized on shelves when you turn right as you come into the library. Other branches would do well to copy the La Jolla branch’s system of organization of their materials.
The ONE caveat about this place: It is just about the worst library in terms of access. Unless, of course, you live within walking distance. When I drive to this place, I have to use the 52 West and drive through a huge maze of streets before arriving at the branch. Parking is also very limited. I’ve parked in the private spots a couple of times, but most of the time, I’m parking in spots that are on the next block, close to the post office that is neighboring the library. Ain’t easy getting to and parking in this place. It’s probably up there with the Central Library and the Pacific Beach branch in terms of difficulty of acces (at least, for myself).