History of the Crest Library

Residents of Crest petitioned the County in May 1935 for a library. A limited-service library opened June 13, 1935 and closed two years later.  It reopened in September 1939. Most of the time the library, was in the home of someone willing to serve as librarian, and it was open only a few hours a week. For some time it was in the home of Mrs. Margeurite Steen. It closed again in March 1945.

When it reopened again in July 1951, at 113 N Park Dr.  (next to the Club house) it was in a wooden bldg.,  open for 6 hrs a week, was 60 sq ft and held 1,300 volumes. Fern Podvin was the first librarian there from 1951-1974.

In 1976 it was relocated to its present location at  105 Juanita Lane, El Cajon, CA 92021., a renovated store bldg.  This was a great improvement, as it was thirteen times larger (1400 sq ft)  and was open for 20 hrs a week carrying 10,000 volumes. It  was expanded in 1996 to (1583 sq ft.)

San Diego County Library (SDCL) has diligently served the community of San Diego County since opening its doors in 1913. With 33 branches and 2 bookmobiles, SDCL serves over one million residents across a 4,000-square-mile county. SDCL's mission is to inform, educate, inspire, and entertain. Conferred the national 2012 Library of the Year award by Library Journal and Gale (part of Cengage Learning), SDCL provides sanctuaries for all ages and has its finger on the pulse of the community.

In fiscal year 2014-2015, San Diego County Library:

• Has 33 branches, 2 bookmobiles, and 2 24/7 Library To Go kiosks.
• Circulated over 11.1 million books, CDs, DVDs, and other material formats.
• Recorded 5.6 million visits to library branches.
• Hosted 31,571 library programs.

Our Vision Statement

Informed, Literate, and Engaged Communities

Our Mission Statement

To Inform, Educate, Inspire, and Entertain

Our Guiding Principles

• Responsiveness - We are proactive in identifying the needs and responding to the changing look of our communities.
• Accessibility and Capacity - We eliminate barriers so that all community members may have full access to library resources.
• Communication - We connect with our diverse community in creative and proactive ways to let them know how the library can enrich and improve their lives.
• Inclusiveness - We respect and celebrate the diversity of the communities we serve.
• Teamwork & Collaboration - We partner with community, government, business, and cultural groups to strengthen and enrich our communities.

Our Values Statement

San Diego County Library is a community of practice. We bring staff and customers together in dedication to values that promote literacy, lifelong learning and social capital.

Our Values Statement

San Diego County Library is a community of practice. We bring staff and customers together in dedication to values that promote literacy, lifelong learning and social capital.