Allied Gardens/Benjamin Branch

The Allied Gardens/Benjamin branch library opened in 1965. The branch is among the smaller ones in the system at around 4,000 square feet, but has a really large collection of books for its size as well as a community meeting room, outdoor patio, and a separate reading room for periodicals. Like many other of the smaller branches, its high ceilings, natural light, and open layout make the library feel bigger than it actually is.



















Geographically, the Allied Gardens neighborhood kind of of expands concentrically around the area in which the library is located, which also includes a large public park, swimming pool, recreation center, and middle school. Allied Gardens is primarily residential and composes the northwestern component of the Navajo region of San Diego, which also includes Grantville, San Carlos, and Del Cerro. To the north, the neighborhood is bounded by the San Diego river, Mission Gorge, and Mission Trails Regional Park.

College-Rolando

As its name suggests, the College-Rolando public library branch sits between College Area to the north, a region named in reference to San Diego State University, and Rolando to the south, a primarily residential area that borders La Mesa and Lemon Grove. Like many libraries in the Mid-City area, the College-Rolando is located in a fairly condescend area that receives much more traffic than does an average neighborhood in San Diego. Located only a little over a mile from the heart of the SDSU, the area around the library features a lot of apartment complexes, retail stores, and small restaurants.

The College-Rolando branch was built in 2005 to replace the old College Heights branch, and is one of the larger branch libraries in the system at 15,000 square feet. The layout of the library is interesting in that the different components are divided and not really visible to each other. As with all public libraries, you're funneled towards the circulation desk as you enter the building. But beyond that point, each different part of the library, like the children's section, popular media, computer area, community rooms, and main stacks/reading room, are all in different wings of the library that all connect to the center lobby and the circulation desk. I like the organization of the branch, and it certainly gives it a feel that is distinct from any of the other branches I've visited so far.

Paradise Hills

Located in the Paradise Hills neighborhood of San Diego, the Paradise Hills branch library is the southernmost branch in what you could consider to be the "contiguous" city limits (the Otay Mesa/Nestor and San Ysidro branches, while being within city limits, are in the purple region in the map on the right and are separated from the rest of the city by Chula Vista, Bonita, and National City).

The Paradise Hills library is 3,875 square feet. More so than what I've seen at other branches, this branch is located adjacent to and across the street from residential homes, and you might almost think it to be another house if you weren't paying attention. In fact, it has a nice back patio which actually borders the yards of private residences. That being said, the branch is pretty easy to access, as it's on a corner that borders a major road, and has a good size parking lot. The branch also feels pretty spacious considering its small size.

I haven't been able to find an exact date on when it was built, but I'd date it around the same time as the openings of the Oak Park and old Skyline Hills branches, which were both completed in 1966.