In addition to the flagship Downtown Redwood City Public Library, three smaller neighborhood branches provide services tailored to individual communities, and each library has a history as unique as the neighborhoods they serve.
The Schaberg Branch Library, located on Euclid Avenue near Roosevelt School and Key Market, is the only Redwood City branch library located west of El Camino Real. Named for Herman Schaberg, San Mateo County Clerk from 1903-1907, the branch was built as the result of a $20,000 bequest to the Library by Mrs. Hannah Schaberg in memory of her late husband. The branch opened in 1957.
The Fair Oaks Branch Library has served its neighborhood since 1974. Originally opened in the Fair Oaks Community Center in 1974, it moved to its current location in the County Human Services Agency building in 1995. Because of its location on the border of the City of Redwood City and the North Fair Oaks community in unincorporated San Mateo County, the Library is jointly funded by the San Mateo County Libraries joint powers authority and the City.
The newest branch library in Redwood City is the
Redwood Shores Branch, which opened in 2008 in a
scenic spot adjacent to the Belmont Slough and the
Bay Trail. Featuring a museum-quality interpretive
center about the wildlife and environment of the San
Francisco Bay, a café, several community meeting
rooms, dedicated spaces for children and teens, and an
automated sorting system to help manage the heavy
circulation of materials, Redwood Shores is the largest
and busiest neighborhood branch.