Really nice big library with lots of seating on all levels. The lobby level has a Pete's coffee in it with lots of seating if you prefer to do some reading and studying in an area where you can eat/drink. The first few floors of the library aren't too quiet, which I prefer, but the 4th level and higher are quiet study areas. There are also plenty of electrical outlets, but they are scattered throughout along the walls and floor (not built into the tables like what more modern libraries have.) I'm not a SFSU student, but was able to come here with no issues to get some work and studying done. There is very limited paid parking around the area and the free street parking is impossible to find, but if your mobile and capable enough you can park unlimited for free at the mall up the street and walk over (it was about a 15 minute walk.) There are also several muni and bus stops in the area, so public transportation is probably more ideal. I like getting my steps in, so I parked at the mall and walked over. There is free guest wifi in the library for non-students. You just need to sign up for it with your name and email address, and the system emails you a one time password to use. The wifi is surprisingly slow, considering that this is on a college campus and I'm sure there are many students that rely on needing good internet speeds for their courses and studies. read more

Back in the day, this library was just like any other municipal library. After the renovations, this place is way more inviting for the student who need a quiet place to study or form groups for meetings and presentations. Similar to that of an office. After the renovations, this place feels more like a miniature IT campus similar to that of Apple or google. And the library gets super busy especially during midterms and finals. Surprisingly there's a Help Desk where you can get a loaner laptop, you have basic computer questions. Basically this is a good place to start for your studying needs. read more

My review still stands firm, but I do have a correction, OUTLETS! FOUND THEM!!! They are either on the ground or on the multiple pillars here and there. Study away my fellow students. previous review: Finally!!! Our new and improved Library. Today there's a sneak preview. Nice seating areas, everything's totally brand spanking new. Wide open space and I love the windows, You can view the greenier outside and enjoy the warmth of being indoors. I'm pretty impressed with the architecture, I'm not a design major, but it's appealing. Thanks SFSU, this give me even more motivation to study. Hmm too bad there isn't any outlets for us notebook users, I guess that's a good thing because we'll be forced to do our work versus going on FB and yelp to write reviews all day. I'm a happy student! read more

Wow, the J. Paul Leonard Library just opened not long ago. This library looks very brand new since it just received a facelift renovation. More study space means plenty of areas for students to study for midterms and finals as well as completing their homework assignments. It is a library with books and other reference materials available as needed. Update for 12/17/2013: Friendly staff and efficient services. The books on shelves look very neatly organized. This is one of the best places for students to come in and complete homework assignments or study for upcoming exams. Free Wi-Fi and sufficient amenities are always a good thing. Clean and spacious library facility. Positive experience here! read more

I love this library because they always have the books I need for class and research papers. Even if they don't have the books, you can always order from the interlibrary services and the books will be here in just a few days. The staff has always been friendly and helpful to me, there are many useful resources, and many computers are available. It's usually very busy from 11am-3pm, but before and after these times the library is quite calm. Peet's coffee on the first floor. Many computers for printing. Used book sale room. Great library. read more

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This is a great library at SF state university. This is huge and has got some 6 floors and so, enough space to out silent area, sit and study then. Added to this, they got Peet's coffee at the entrance which is awesome. I usually do my assignments and stuff here. This is also good for group study :) read more

SFSU - J. Paul Leonard Library - The best library :-) - Libraries Near Me - San Francisco, California

If youre looking to study, here is the place to go! The first floor is good if you're gonna stay late night. The 2nd and 3rd floors are good during the day and the 4th floor is best if you need a quiet area. There are plenty of outlets and even couches if you want to relax or take a quick nap. There are large windows which make for great lighting and coffee right on the 1st floor with several food options a couple hundred feet away. This is always my first choice to camp out during finals or a big exam. The staff however are not as helpful, they usually try to push you onto someone else or don't have much information or are of little help. The best resource is the librarian info desk where they can help you look up books, or other resources. read more

SFSU - J. Paul Leonard Library - The view from the 3rd floor. - Libraries Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is a really big library! Beware, SFSU has a history of corruption, misuse of public funds an abuse of its students. Crime rings within this are committing hate crimes and stealing penises from students in a racialized fashion. Library is fine, however. read more

Great place to study WiFi for registered students k only but usually really loud especially by cafe area. If you want quiet, get in the quiet study room read more

SFSU - J. Paul Leonard Library - Late studies - Libraries Near Me - San Francisco, California

Haven't been to library since i graduated last may. Only used it for couple months after they first opened last spring before graduating but decided to come here this pass saturday to study for work. it's clean and spacious. Looks a lot better now after the library had been remodel. And you don't have to walk far to the library anymore like how i did during my time at sfsu. plenty of tables especially in level 2, 3, and 4 if you don't go to study in the main level. Its cool that they have peets coffee in this library. Wifi are doable and fast on weekends since theres not a lot of students and especially if theres no midterms or finals Of course there's 24 hours area for those who wants to study late Will definitely come back here again. read more

HI THIS IS A FUCKING COLLEGE LIBRARY. NOT A PLACE TO PLAY FUCKING BEJEWELED IN THE QUIET STUDY ROOM WITH NO GODDAMN EARPHONES AND WATCH RU PAUL'S DRAG RACE YOU MISERABLE HUMAN BEINGS. It's open 24 hours and there's less homeless people than the Annex. Thanks for opening a month before I graduate. Fuck you State. It's nice though. read more

I've had a couple conversations here with people in the library as well as with my friends who go here, and it all leads to- "wait. you don't even go here". I don't go to SFSU, but I do love their library! LOL sorry SFSU students, I hope you you don't mind me using up a table to study! If you know someone who goes here, or know someone who has access to the library's wifi, come check this place out when you're in need of a place to study. This place is great for studying, especially during late nights because they're open 24 hours on certain floors. I like that this library is fairly new, and I like how the tables are set up with lights. It makes studying a bit more easier with a great studious vibe. read more

I graduated years ago but visited the newly renovated J Paul Leonard library out of pure curiosity. Where was this library when I was a student!!! For years even CCSF and other community colleges had a better library facilities. Gone is everything that resembled the old ugly facade! I have no problems with old buildings btw. UC Berkeley has plenty of old libraries, but with a classical charm. The old J Paul Leonard had this grimy 70's style motif with ugly pastel colored chairs. The called this a "renovation" but its a total gutting and destruction of anything that resembled the old library! SFSU students finally get the library they deserved with their tuition money: A spacious, modern, state of the art library built to handle a whole lotta students cramming for finals. The first thing you notice walking in is a spacious lobby with lounge seats, study desks, and the PEET's coffee stand! Almost every floor has an huge open floor design with plenty of desks, lounge chairs, and even diner type booths. The lounge chair spaces are so comfortable, i'm pretty sure their used more for power napping that studying. Bathrooms are nice and clean (so far) and on every floor! I can't say too much about study rooms but i'm pretty sure they are still scarce. Only bummer is I wish they would have a guest wifi for non-students (like me) and maybe for students from other schools that are home for the weekend. Other than that, congrats SFSU!! Welcome to the 21st century!!!!!!!!! read more

Note: Poor reception on the first floor and other areas in the library Overall, pretty clean considering how many people are in and out of this place everyday. Everyone's gotta be responsible for their own mess but there are inconsiderate people out there that don't bother to pick up their own poop. I hope they end up eating it in hell one day. Free wifi for SFSU students. Speed is plenty fast typically but can lag in the afternoon/peak times sometimes but hasn't ever been down for me. Plenty of outlets to plug in your devices. Sometimes, you will run into a bunch of noisey people but you can always find your own hole to hide in. A large variety of seating from chairs, sofas, private areas, etc. All in all, this is still a very new library. Hopefully it will stay that way for years to come. read more

NEEDS. MORE. COMPUTERS. I love the new library, but it's just too damn busy all the time. Sooo many distractions, and it gets pretty damn LOUD. read more

Really nicely remodel! Love everything about it but the 24 hrs room is a bit small and the main library close a little too early. As 10pm rolls around flocks of people swamp the room looking for a place to sit and study! Pros: Lot of study space if its not midterm/ finals week. Many quiet rooms and group study rooms Lots of outlets (what I find 2nd to most important. Seating is 1st) Purell at random places Bathroom in every floor White board for people to group study Cons: Close too early Not enough seating during finals/ midterm week read more

Ever since the remodel, this library, hands down, looks way better! Now, there's tons of computers, more space, oh and they let you bring food. wtf? couldn't do that before and now, it's a whole new world. Tons of study areas, couches, tables, plugs, etc. You will get the occasional big group of loud mouth people come by as if they're at a club and they're trying to be louder than the music when talking to each other. And no matter how hard you grunt and mutter, hoping they'll get the picture, they will still keep talking loud. Anyway, come here when you need to study read more

I love this library, except the students in the quite area talk there. I like the Peet's coffee there too.

I can't deny it. This is a great library. It's enormous, well-equipped with materials to check out, and there are plenty of seats and computers as well. The first floor also has a Peet's which is convenient. If you really want to be in a quiet area, I would reccommend the third floor and above. Even if it's busy during the day, you will find a seat with no issues. I do have to subtract one star as internet access has been pretty much nonexistant for the past two weeks. I visited the IT department where they told me that they are aware of the problem and that they are working as best as they can to resolve it. Just be patient, my fellow gators. 4 stars read more

THANK GOD ITS OPEN NOW.-- Something that finally looks good and not super bootsy lookin' +/-UGHHHHH IS THE ONLY WANT TO GET A GROUP STUDY ROOM TO GET HERE AT THE CRACK OF DAWN!?!?... Well... its worth it though when you can. +Plenty of places to sit, study, chill +Love that they got whiteboards. Helps out ALOT when studying with my study groups +Bathrooms @ every floor... yaaaaaaaaaaay... and they aren't soiled with TP all over the place... yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy +/- For the most part... wifi is good.... but in certain corners it's spotty. UGH. Conclusion: I'm def gunna be livin' in this place the next year or so read more

I can't believe the library reopens earlier than I expected. When I came into the school, they just started the renovation process and weren't expecting to finish until sometime in 2013, how lame. To my surprise they actually opened way earlier than expected sometime in Spring 2012, which is fantastic! I never really bothered going down to the library annex because it was too far away from the buildings I usually go to so I'm stoked about it opening up. I've never seen the old library so I can't really compare how it looks like before and after. I frequent the first floor, basement and fourth floor the most. During the summer when less people are around, I would hang out at the lobby where there are couches. With the new Peet's Coffee & Tea there, it's fantastic for the morning. At other times, I just hang out inside the first floor studying, it's pretty big and have a lot of tables as well as areas with electrical plugs for laptops. There's like 3 areas that were quite similar between the first and the basement floor that I even got confused about even now; the study commons on the first floor, the lab on the first floor and the second lab on the basement floor. Every floor offers a print and copy center which is great for finals week when everyone's lined up like silly trying to print stuff out; you can just run up to the other floors to print because it's virtually empty. In addition, I didn't know this before this semester but they also have a laptop renting program that lets students rent laptops between 2-4 hours with a student ID provided - this is helpful for anyone who needs to use a laptop suddenly for the next couple hours but it's first come first serve so whether it's a Mac or a PC, the earlier you go the better the chance is for you to grab one. For their librarian services, there are some pros and cons. Pros: you can search for your books online to ensure they are there and reserve them so you can pick them up on the first floor only after 15 minutes. You can reserve books from the public library to be delivered to this library if needed (but it takes about a week for it to arrive) Cons: not everything is organized yet so if you don't do the reserving system and rather look for a book yourself, the way the books are organized is still confusing, so make sure you check the "unsorted section" or the "returned section" or anything on the carts because a friend of mine had to end up searching in the "unsorted section" after wandering several times through the correct isle and not finding the book she needed. I would like to see them have more "10-minute printing" computer areas however, because in one of their labs on the first floor, there's only about 10 computers and maybe 2-3 times as many students lining up to print something. At the basement floor there are about 4-6 computers for printing I think (?), 4 PCs and 2 Macs. The printing computer areas are really helpful but I just wish there were more since you know some people are very last minute (not that I personally am) and would try to print 5-10 minutes prior to class but meet a long line. Sometimes I think I have even seen people trying to surf the web with this 10 minutes...please have it only for printing, people please! read more

Definitely a good place to study. My only complaint is that it's cold in there. It gets crazy packed during finals week that's for sure lol. Oh! There's Peet's coffee inside too. read more

Great place to get things done. Simple modern design with many floors! The mass of students inside makes a great study environment Some parts are open 24 hours for the insomniacs! Wifi on the first floor sucks ): read more

They were just opening this up my final year at SFSU and only the first floor was open, leading to a frustrating lack of seating and me wishing they'd go back to the "deployment tent" across campus that the kids didn't want to walk to. Now that it's complete and all the floors are open, however, this is pretty great. Lots of tables with power outlets, plenty to go around. Right near two great sources of cheap food -- $6 big and fresh quesedillas at La Taza and that pay-by-the-pound taco bar where you can actually get a pretty big, good and balanced meal for like $4. Pretty sure this is open to the general public too. As a dues-paying alumnus I'm apparently welcome at all CSU libraries, at least during normal hours, but they don't seem to have checkpoints or shake you down for student ID the way some places do. Wifi is only for current students, alumni don't get it but can use the computer terminals for a little while, but if you got Mifi or something it's a good place to work. Only minor gripe is, it's great Mon-Thu during semesters since they're open to 10 ... but on Fridays and weekends they close at 5 or earlier? What college library does that? I remember the old deployment tent being open 24/7 during semesters ... read more

Recently remodeled and I'm glad it doesn't look like the old library that used to be here. The former library looked like a penitentiary. Generally, I come here during my breaks and in the late afternoons when it isn't crammed with frat/sorority people, fresh out of hs kids that are hella loud and giggity. This is a library. STFU! Library staff are helpful and friendly most of the time. I usually get most of my research done here while sipping on a cup of coffee. I wish all the floors of the library would be open after 10pm. I loathe sitting next to someone who has some FXXKN bad B.O on the first floor. They're always so reticent and noisy too. read more

I swear this place is freezing, I feel like I'm in a refrigerator. Other than that, 4 stars. Other than that, Pretty decent place to study. The main library section closes at 7pm which kinda sucks. But there are plenty of outlets on the tables for your access. Overall, better than the public libraries here in San Francisco, no bums or anything like that. But there are some annoying people who talk a lot- just give them a death stare.. it usually works. read more

Love this place. Amazing view of nature. I like their bigs windows. The first floor open 24 hours. Sometimes I can spend my free time after my busy day. Good coffee. If you're hungry there are a lot of cafe near this place. read more

Love how the new library doesn't smell like old books compared to the old library. I lightweight miss the annex cause you could sneak in food and won't get caught. I seen a lot of people here while I was studying that tried to eat lunch here and someone would always have to tell them to put their food away. I understand it's a new library so you should eat your lunch in the cafe area. The only thing that you can take in the study rooms is water. Other than that, it's about time the new library is open. read more

on weekends - i'll give you maybe a half more of a star. weekdays - you are just not what i thought you were. weekend version - love coming here on sundays because there are usually not many people here. parking can be difficult if you come late in the afternoon, but for the most part, free meter parking on sundays and the two hour limits don't count on sundays (and saturdays!) love studying here since there aren't that many crowds and a lot quieter than on the weekdays. peet's coffee conveniently located down there as well for snacks/drinks. finding a table WITH AN OUTLET isn't hard on the weekends either. so awesome! you can do a big group here for study sesh for sure on the weekends. weekdays - o m g , why did i even consider? 3rd floor, so loud.............. how can i even study here?!!?! 4th floor, oh wow it's actually quiet!!!!! BUT.... wtf some tables don't have outlets?! what century are we in right now?! i just thought this was soooo inconvenient and i was tricked several times with a free table, but no outlet to be found. they really need to get on adding these outlets man..... this place gets packed on the weekdays and the place is jus kinda gross. weekends over weekdays at this library for tables and quietness + cleanliness. read more

Very clean bathrooms, large library. But for some reason the college students here use the library as a place for socializing. The whole library floor is full of people chit chatting when they should be studying! Anyways they have. a quiet area too. There's a coffee place on the ground floor next to the entrance. Overall a good place yo hang out, good for groups. read more

If you don't want to be disturbed by loud people, go to the 4th floor. The only con is that there isn't really outlets anywhere. Try to go to the back of the building where the bookcases are. Its easier to sit on the tables however, if you don't like sharing a table with a steanger, there are places on the floor to lay amd sit around. Just move if someone wants to check out a bool for their studies. read more

I absolutely love the new library at SF State. There are plenty of computers and tons of tables for reading and studying. They have a meeting room, study rooms, Peet's on the floor level (wish it was Philz) seating where you can eat. I am so extremely happy to finally have a library less than a mile away from my classes. SF state started this renovation process when I was a Junior or Senior now I am in my last semester of Grad School...it was worth the wait though! read more

Lol, where are the books in this place? I've been here so many times and I rarely see an actual book. There are so many places to meet and do group work, which is something that's missing from the UC system. But for real, universities should have books, and I just plain don't know where the books are at SF State. read more

Anna Rivera helped me figure out google docs. I would give her a 11/10 stars if I could. She works at Research or Study Commons. I recommend asking for her when in that area. read more

This is a beautiful library. The more I come here, the more I like it. There are several different areas to this library, and each area gets great lighting with the exception of the first floor inner area. The first floor is also usually the most crowded. I come here to study and collaborate with others. I can't think of anything negative to say about this library; it is well designed and has a lot to offer. In short, I will be back. read more

Love the new place. It is so spacious and clean! The best part is you never have to search for a great place to study. There is an abundant amount of outlets and the wifi is pretty fast. This has to be hands down the best place to study on campus. read more

BEST Library ever, my favorite place to study is in the basement. I can work for hours down there, lots of computers and printers.

Really bad reception in here. Maybe that's the point so that anyone who enters will not be distracted from modern technologies. The place is pretty packed each time I come here. I've yet to try out the checkout desk, but this place reminds me very much of Meyer Library at Stanford where I worked. It's a bigger version here, so I feel right at home. This place is open to the public and I can study until super late, which is great. There's also a good amount of parking around the area and accessible by the M line. read more

SFSU's newly remodeled library. Conveniently located on 19th and holloway. Pros: Clean facilities, lots of space for people, 5 floors Computers for use, 2nd floor has a digital media lab where the fastest computers in the library are located Research commons are open 24/7 Cons: Extremely slow internet during the day, possibly because too many students are trying to use the wifi during the day. No phone reception on certain floors Peet's coffee is expensive Overall it's an alright place to study, but it would be better if they had multiple floors open 24/7. read more

The new library is awesome...just wished I could have use it during my college years..