Sutro Library (San Francisco)
Current Exhibit
The Wonderful World of Ephemera: Ephemera are things that were never meant to be kept, never meant to last. Yet we hold onto them for many reasons. Explore the beauty of the ephemeral in our new exhibit with items ranging from news clippings to campaign materials to postcards, runs from May 2026 through end of July 2026.
Bay Area Genealogy Calendar
Featured Event: “Alienation Of Affection — Divorce in the USA,” presented virtually by the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society on Monday, August 10th at 7:00 pm. See Calendar for more details.
The Sutro Library (the State Library’s San Francisco branch) holds the original collection of Adolph Sutro (1830–1898), California businessman and San Francisco mayor. The library has a large collection of publications and items dating from the 13th to the 21st centuries as well as one of the largest genealogy collections in the U.S.
Adolph Sutro’s heirs donated his collection to the California State Library in 1913 with the requirement that the collection stay within the city of San Francisco. After operating in various locations for nearly a century, the Sutro Library moved to a permanent home at San Francisco State University in 2012.
What’s New
New online resource! Search the holdings for the Sutro Library’s telephone directories on microfiche covering the 1970s – 2000s through our new database!
Ghoulies, ghosties and long-leggedy beasties! Download and make our spooky coloring book part of your Halloween festivities (PDF).
In honor of our 100th year of serving the people of California, we invite you to color our collections! Download our anniversary coloring book (PDF).
Contact Us
San Francisco State University
1630 Holloway Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94132-4030
Days & Hours
Tuesday-Thursday, 10:00 am – 4:00pm; closed for lunch 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Make an appointment
Do you have a reference question? Use our Ask A Librarian service, which directs your inquiry to a California State Library staff member.