Treasure Island gets a new public library… in a vending machine

The windswept, perpetually under-construction Treasure Island – an artificial landmass in the middle of the Bay, built for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition – is not normally thought of as a destination for readers.

But that changed this weekend with the unveiling of the San Francisco Public Library’s new Treasure Island branch. To visit it, head to the Island Cove Market at 800 Ave. H, Suite 5. It’s right there by the door: a vending machine similar to the type that dispenses Hostess Twinkies, only this one’s full of books.

San Francisco’s very first “Book Stop” kiosk is an experiment in greening library deserts with small or mobile book repositories. The public library also has traveling Bookmobiles, which serve Treasure Island’s tiny population among other places. But this new “library” is planted in place, in a grocery/diner that slings shawarma and bacon-egg sandwiches, and offers services to anybody holding a library card. (Get yours here!)

“Our mission is to ensure that every San Franciscan has access to books and the joy of reading,” says Michael Lambert, San Francisco’s City Librarian. “The SFPL Book Stop helps bring us one step further in that direction. We really couldn’t ask for a better location than the Island Cove Market, a beloved community hub on Treasure Island.”

About 25 people attended the vending machine’s ribbon-cutting on Saturday. The first to check out a book was District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. He chose “Spare,” the 2023 memoir by Prince Harry that was ghostwritten by J. R. Moehringer. (New Yorker review: “The Prince in exile does not hesitate to detail the pettiness, the vanity, and the inglorious urge toward self-preservation of those who are now the monarchy’s highest-ranking representatives.”)

“Treasure Island is always an amazing place to come, a great place to spend the weekend and go for a run,” Dorsey says. “This is a part of the city that’s often unseen. The Bookmobile is here, and we’re doing this innovative library hub to bring library services here.”

The library gives these directions for using the machine:

1. Scan your card. 
2. Type in your PIN. 
3. Open door. 
4. Take your books – they’re automatically checked out when you close the door! 
5. Return to the SFPL Book Stop (ideal!) or any other Library location.

This kiosk holds up to 200 books. “We have something for everyone in it – the most popular titles in our collection, from children’s books to adult, fiction and nonfiction,” says library spokeswoman Jaime Wong. “Our Collections team will be monitoring the trends of what’s being checked out and, based on that, will continue to evolve the collection based on the needs and interests of the Treasure Island community. ”

Wong adds: “One fun fact is that you can check out cookbooks from the kiosk, which is an appropriate fit given that the kiosk is located in Treasure Island’s main grocery store.”