A low murmur filled the air in San Quentin’s spacious new library. People seated at tables and on cushions along the walls talked quietly in pairs or small groups. Others read alone or browsed. It looked and felt like a public or college library on the outside.

The new facility appears larger than its predecessor, but according to Librarian Gabriel Loiederman, the square footage is similar to the old space. The collection size is also relatively unchanged at about 20,000 items.

What is different is that in the new facility, readers can browse 1,700 linear feet of open shelving that contains, according to an OPEC Press Office Fact Sheet, “wide-ranging fiction and non-fiction books selected with input from the population, various magazines and newspapers, and reference materials such as encyclopedias and dictionaries.” One area contains an eclectic selection of CDs, ranging from Bach and Vivaldi to Tom Petty, Jelly Roll Morton, and Trombone Shorty, to name a few.

Librarians call the patron-accessible shelves “open stacks.” In the old library, a counter separated patrons from the books. Readers made book selections from an index and then clerks fetched their choices from stacks behind the counter. No browsing.

San Quentin resident and library patron Dani Horner worked at a table with his laptop open. Of the freedom to browse the open shelves, he said, “It’s amazing. It allows me to actually look at the description [of the book] on the back cover.” There, Horner finds the information he needs to make an informed selection.

Librarian Gabriel Loiederman said that open shelving gives the materials better visibility as well. “Direct browsing allows patrons to find materials of interest that they weren’t previously aware of,” said Loiederman.

Library patronage has increased with these changes. Loiederman said that average weekly circulation quadrupled between May 2025 (old library) and May 2026 (new library).

Circulation Clerk Shane Daugherty worked in the old facility and moved with the books to the new space. Before the move he helped patrons at the counter by pulling their book selections, a service he enjoyed providing. Though he misses the interaction that work entailed, he said the positivity of his new work environment is compensation. He said library patrons are enjoying the autonomy and normality of browsing the open shelves on their own. Daugherty encouraged any who have not visited the new archive to come and experience it themselves. “The novelty of the new space is invigorating,” he said.

Horner responded to questions softly to avoid disturbing others. “It’s a lot quieter here. It’s almost like a public library on the street. You can sit at a table and work comfortably here.”

Half a dozen members of the San Quentin group Skunkworks gathered around a table near the front entrance, talking quietly. A congregation of gamers shared a table near the circulation desk. Daugherty said such meetings demonstrate that the new space is conducive to gatherings of that sort.

A cornerstone of San Quentin’s transition from prison to rehabilitation center is normalization. The design of the new library contributes to that goal. In that context, Librarian Charlotte Roi had a message to library patrons.

“I believe open shelves have been invaluable in helping residents become familiar with how a library in a free and open society functions … open stacks create opportunities for community members to develop and practice shared norms of responsibility, respect, and appropriate behavior in a public space. They also demonstrate the potential for cultivating community stewardship, where residents recognize that library collections are a shared resource that belongs to everyone,” said Roi.

Innovations like the open shelving in the new library come with growing pains as beneficiaries engage the responsibility that comes with increased access.

Roi continued, “While open browsing inevitably creates opportunities for some individuals to take community resources for personal use, it also reflects the trust libraries place in their communities. It makes me sad when I see a lack of respect for these shared resources … At the same time, I remain hopeful. Stewardship is something that communities learn and strengthen over time, and I believe libraries can play an important role in that process. By continuing to provide open access and encouraging a sense of collective responsibility, we can create opportunities for communities to grow into a deeper respect for the resources they share and the public institutions that serve them.”

According to the OPEC Fact Sheet, two new library positions make possible extended hours of access to residents into evenings and weekends. The old repository continues to serve as the facility’s law library.

— Bostyon Johnson contributed to this story