Point Loma/Hervey Library
🏢 San Diego Public Library · Point Loma, San Diego
Point Loma/Hervey Library
Perched on the Point Loma peninsula within miles of Cabrillo National Monument, the Hervey Library features a working surplus Navy periscope, the largest children's library in the City of San Diego, and a terrazzo rotunda floor map of the peninsula — all funded by a family who loved this library before it even existed.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 11:30am–8pm |
| Tuesday | 11:30am–8pm |
| Wednesday | 9:30am–6pm |
| Thursday | 9:30am–6pm |
| Friday | 9:30am–6pm |
| Saturday | 10am–4pm |
| Sunday | 1pm–5pm |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 3701 Voltaire Street, San Diego, CA 92107
Phone: (619) 531-1539
Website: sandiego.gov
Plus Code: 8544PQRC+26 (San Diego, CA)
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📖 About Point Loma/Hervey Library
The James Edgar and Jean Jessop Hervey Point Loma Branch Library opened on September 20, 2003, replacing a much smaller facility on the Point Loma peninsula. At 25,890 square feet — roughly five times the size of its predecessor — it ranks among the largest libraries in the City of San Diego and holds up to 80,000 materials. The $11 million building was designed by Conwell Shonkwiler & Associates and funded in part by a $5 million grant from the San Diego Foundation's Hervey Family Fund: Jean Jessop Hervey, a longtime Point Loma resident who passed away in 1999, bequeathed $80 million to the San Diego Foundation with the first grant dedicated to replacing the library where she had spent every Tuesday evening reading with her children. Throughout the two-story structure, nautical and marine-life themes pay homage to Point Loma's heritage as a fishing village and maritime peninsula — just three miles from the tip where Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo made the first recorded European landing on the U.S. West Coast in 1542.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Opened September 20, 2003 — 25,890 sq ft, one of the largest libraries in the City of San Diego, holding up to 80,000 materials (funded by a $5 million Hervey Family Fund grant and $11 million total)
- Iconic nautical architecture by Conwell Shonkwiler & Associates: a working surplus U.S. Navy periscope lets visitors survey the surrounding neighborhood, and the entrance rotunda features a terrazzo floor map of the Point Loma peninsula
- Named for James Edgar Hervey (1926–1996), a lawyer and early Price Club investor, and his wife Jean Jessop Hervey (1927–1999), whose $80 million bequest to the San Diego Foundation funded the library's cornerstone gift
- Largest children's library space in the City of San Diego — a sailboat reading room with portholes, mast and sails, surfboard-shaped desks, an art area, and a Story Time Zone
- Veterans Resource Center staffed by trained volunteers (by appointment) connecting veterans and military families with education, housing, health, employment, and benefits resources
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Point Loma/Hervey cardholders access San Diego's free digital collection:
📚 Services
- 23 public-access computers and free Wi-Fi throughout the building
- Community meeting room (capacity 122) with kitchen, plus five study rooms (6 seats each)
- 109 on-site parking spaces and Bus Route 923 access
- Veterans Resource Center with volunteer staff (appointment-based) for benefits navigation
- Interlibrary lending via LINK+ (statewide California union catalog)
- Sailboat children's reading room with portholes, mast, sails, and surfboard-shaped desks
🎸 Programs
- Lego Builders Club — Wednesdays, 3:30–4:30pm (children)
- Sing & Sign Toddler Storytime — select dates, 10:00–10:30am
- Friends of the Library Concert Series — monthly evening concerts, 6:30pm
- Visual arts classes and hands-on crafts programming for children and adults
📍 Other San Diego Public Library Branches
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in San Diego · Browse all California libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Who were James Edgar and Jean Jessop Hervey, and why is this library named after them?
James Edgar Hervey (1926–1996) was a San Diego attorney who became one of the original investors in Price Club; when Costco acquired Price Club shortly after his death, the investment surged in value. His wife, Jean Jessop Hervey (1927–1999), was a Point Loma resident who spent every Tuesday evening at the neighborhood's old branch library reading with her children. After her death, she bequeathed $80 million to the San Diego Foundation, which made its very first grant of $5 million to build a new library at that same Point Loma location. The $11 million building that opened in 2003 was named in their honor.
What is the nautical periscope in the library, and where did it come from?
The library contains a working periscope salvaged from a U.S. Navy submarine. Visitors can look through it to view the surrounding Point Loma neighborhood — a fitting detail in a building whose entire design pays tribute to the peninsula's maritime heritage and its deep ties to the U.S. Navy, which has maintained a major presence in San Diego since the establishment of the Navy Coaling Station at Point Loma in 1901.
Is the library close to Cabrillo National Monument?
Yes. Cabrillo National Monument — which marks the southern tip of the Point Loma peninsula where Portuguese explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo made the first recorded European landing on the U.S. West Coast on September 28, 1542 — is approximately three miles southwest of the library. The library's entrance rotunda features a terrazzo floor map of the entire Point Loma peninsula, giving visitors a geographic orientation that includes the monument and the bay.
Does the library offer resources specifically for veterans?
Yes. The library houses a Veterans Resource Center staffed by trained volunteers, available by appointment. Volunteers help veterans and their military families identify and connect with benefits and services in areas such as education, health care, housing, and employment, with support from the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Point Loma's deep military identity — home to major naval installations and a large active-duty and veteran population — makes this one of the branch's most-used services.
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