The Alhambra Library welcomes over 500,000 visitors each year and provides learning opportunities, dynamic programming, and educational resources for all ages. The current Library building opened in 2008. It is over 45,000 square feet and houses over 200,000 items in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese. The First Floor houses the children's room, teen room, adult fiction and audiobooks, the community languages collection, as well as newspapers and magazines. The Second Floor houses adult non-fiction, the microfilm collection, study rooms, and the Friends Book Store. The Tales of Alhambra Mobile Library launched in 2021 and makes regular visits to parks, schools, and other locations throughout Alhambra. You can register for a library card, check out materials, and enjoy a story time or craft.
Beautiful branch library renovated in 2025. New books, fiction, non-fiction, Spanish books, study rooms, film showings, access to e-books & databases. Literacy program and ESL classes. Crafts for children. Computers, chromebooks, and laptops. Copying, printing, and scanning.
The Huntington, formerly the estate of Henry E. Huntington, is a cultural oasis offering a captivating blend of history, art, and nature. Here, you will find an extensive library filled with rare books, a large art collection containing numerous European prints and paintings, botanical gardens of almost unmatched splendor and a forum for regular lectures and other activities. You will also find a fine bookstore, cafe and tea room on the grounds. Come and wander through the colorful gardens, lily ponds and beautiful sculptures. The rare books and manuscripts in the library include some of the earliest editions of Shakespeare's works, a copy of the Gutenberg Bible on vellum and the Ellesmere manuscript of one or more of Chaucer's greatest works. A great place for those looking to enjoy a good read in a serene setting.
Opened in 2008, Crowell Public Library has its origins going back to 1913. Earlier known as the San Marino Public Library, the new state-of-the-art book repository was funded by a generous donation by Suzanne Crowell, former city mayor and her family. The Californian-Spanish architecture of the edifice is a lovely touch to this library. A prominent part of the downtown area, this buzzing place offers story-time, lectures, readings, author discussions, community events, children's programs, teen programs and special events for adults.
