Membership FAQ and Other Policies

Annual membership for an individual is $150 and $225 for a family.  Student memberships are $80 for full-time students 35 years of age and younger. 

Members who wish to bring a guest must obtain a 15 minute pass from the security desk in the lobby. Guests must remain with members at all times. If you wish to bring a guest to work with you in the library for a day, they must first obtain a day visitor’s pass from the circulation desk or membership office for $15.

Yes. Visitor passes are available daily for $15 and weekly for $45.  If you become a yearly member visit, we will apply the visitor fee to your annual membership cost.  

If you wish to join or renew on our website, we've made it convenient for you.  If you'd like to drop-in to join or renew, we are happy to help you at the library circulation desks or in the membership office located in Suite 504.

Please note that if your account has accrued library fees in excess of $29.99, you must pay fines before we are able to activate your account.

Members' renew at the end of each month of their anniversary date and are notified one month in advance through mail and email.  We follow-up with a second renewal notice and email on the anniversary month, followed by two more notices one month apart.  

Mechanics’ Institute is a registered non-profit organization. We are grateful for your donations, which are tax-deductible. Our EIN is 94-1254644.

We are available Monday - Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm to answer any questions in-person at Suite 504, by phone at (415) 393-0105, or by email at membership@milibrary.org .

Our library team is available to help.  Please contact a librarian for research assistance at (415) 393-0102 or reference@milibrary.org .

Yes. Membership upgrades may be done in-person or over the phone.  The additional cost is $75 for a family of four for a total of $225.  

Absolutely! Members are encouraged to bring guests for the cost of a ticket to Mechanics' Institute events such as author talks, book groups, Movies at Mechanics', Music at Mechanics', and other ticketed programs.  For chess, we offer a free monthly social that is open to the public on the first Friday of each month.  Please check our programs and events for more information about Cultural Programming and Chess events, workshops, and tournaments.

Members of Mechanics’ Institute are free to use our 4th floor Meeting Room for brief phone calls and meetings, as well as to eat. Please respect others by keeping discussions short and by using headphones while watching videos or listening to music. The Meeting Room hours are subject to change due to rentals,  which are posted outside the Meeting Room door.

Yes, there is a replacement fee of $5 for a new card. Contact membership at (415) 393-0105, membership@milibrary.org, stop by membership in Suite 504, or one of our library circulation desks.

Yes, members may access sister membership libraries across the U.S.

Effective Date: October 22, 2015

The Mechanics’ Institute values your support and is committed to protecting your privacy. This statement (the “Privacy Policy”) sets forth our policies and practices for handling your information on the milibrary.org website and any other website or online service that we operate and that links to this Privacy Policy (the “Services”).

I. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION

We may collect the following kinds of information when you use the Services:

Information you provide directly to us. For certain activities, such as when you register, sign up for our email notices, make a donation, search our collection, or contact us directly, we may ask you to provide the following types of information:

Contact information, such as full name, email address, address, and phone number;

Payment information, such as credit card number and expiration date, where needed to process a donation or complete a transaction; and

Search terms, comments, and other correspondence you send to us.

Information we collect automatically. We may collect certain information automatically when you use our Services, such as your Internet protocol address and other device identifiers, browser type, operating system, Internet service provider, pages that you visit immediately before or after using the Services, the date and time of your visit, information about the links you click and pages you view within the Services, and other standard server log information.

We may use cookies, pixel tags, and similar technologies to automatically collect this information. Cookies are small bits of information that are stored by your computer’s web browser. Pixel tags are very small images or small pieces of data embedded in images, also known as “web beacons” or “clear GIFs,” that can recognize cookies, the time and date a page is viewed, a description of the page where the pixel tag is placed, and similar information from your computer or device. By using the Services, you consent to our use of cookies and similar technologies.

Information we obtain from other sources. We may receive information from other sources. For example, if you access Facebook or Twitter through the Services to share information about your experience on the Services, we may collect information from these third-party services.

II. USE OF INFORMATION

We only use payment information, such as credit card numbers and expiration date, as necessary to complete a particular transaction or as otherwise required by law.

We otherwise use the information we collect online to:

Fulfill your requests for products, services, and information;

Send you promotional materials from us;

Analyze the use of the Services to understand and improve the Services;

Prevent potentially prohibited or illegal activities and otherwise in accordance with our Terms of Use; and

For any other purposes disclosed to you at the time we collect your information or pursuant to your consent.

III. DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION

We are committed to maintaining your trust, and we do not disclose your information except as follows:

Authorized third-party vendors and service providers. We share your information with third-party vendors and service providers that help us provide you specialized services when you access them, including program registration, e-books, e-magazines, and online databases.

Business transfers. We may share your information in connection with a substantial corporate transaction, such as the sale of a website, a merger, consolidation, asset sale, or in the unlikely event of bankruptcy.

Legal purposes. We may disclose information to respond to subpoenas, court orders, legal process, law enforcement requests, legal claims or government inquiries, and to protect and defend our or others’ rights, interests, safety, and security.

With your consent. We may share information for any other purposes disclosed to you at the time we collect the information or pursuant to your consent.

If you access third-party services, such as Facebook or Twitter, through the Services, these third parties may be able to collect information about you and notify your connections on the third-party services about your use of the Services, in accordance with their own privacy policies.

IV. SECURITY

We use reasonable measures to help protect information from loss, theft, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. Please understand that no data storage system or transmission of data over the Internet or any other public network can be guaranteed to be 100 percent secure.

V. YOUR CHOICES

You may be able to refuse or disable cookies by adjusting your web browser settings. Because each web browser is different, please consult the instructions provided by your web browser (typically in the “help” section). Please note that you may need to take additional steps to refuse or disable some technologies. If you choose to refuse, disable, or delete these technologies, some of the functionality of the Services may no longer be available to you.

VI. “Do Not Track” Signals

Some web browsers may transmit "do-not-track" signals to websites. Because of differences in how web browsers implement this feature, it is not always clear whether users intend for these signals to be transmitted, or whether they even are aware of them. Standards-setting organizations have not decided what, if anything, websites should do when they receive such signals. We currently do not take action in response to these signals. If and when a final standard is accepted, we may reassess how to respond to these signals.

VII. THIRD-PARTY LINKS AND COOKIES

The Services may contain links to content maintained by third parties that we do not control. We may allow third parties to place and read their own cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to collect information automatically through the Services. These third parties may collect information over time and across different websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties, and we recommend that you read their privacy policies.

VIII. INTERNATIONAL USERS

The Services are designed for and targeted to U.S. audiences and are governed by and operated in accordance with the laws of the U.S. We make no representation that the Services are operated in accordance with the laws or regulations of any other nations. By using the Services and providing us with information, you understand and agree that your information may be transferred to and stored on servers located outside your resident jurisdiction and, to the extent you are a resident of a country other than the United States, that you consent to the transfer of such data to the United States for processing by us in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

IX. CHANGES TO THE PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy by revising the “Effective Date” above and posting the new policy. We recommend that you review the Privacy Policy each time you visit the Services to stay informed of our privacy practices.

X. STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our practices, please contact us:

Mechanics' Institute
57 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
reference@milibrary.org

Effective Date: October 22, 2015

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your use of the milibrary.org website and any other website or online service that we operate and that links to these Terms (the “Services”).

PLEASE NOTE THAT SECTION V CONTAINS A BINDING ARBITRATION CLAUSE AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER THAT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS FOR RESOLVING ANY DISPUTE WITH US. Please review these Terms carefully before using the Services. We may change these Terms or modify any features of the Services at any time. The most current version of the Terms can be viewed by clicking on the “Terms of Use” link posted through the Services. You accept the Terms by using the Services, and you accept any changes to the Terms by continuing to use the Services after we post the changes.

I. PRIVACY

Your use of the Services will be governed by our Privacy Policy. By using the Services, you agree and consent to the practices described in the Privacy Policy.

II. PROHIBITED CONDUCT

You may not access or use, or attempt to access or use, the Services to take any action that could harm us or any third party, interfere with the operation of the Services, or use the Services in a manner that violates any laws. For example, and without limitation, you may not:

impersonate any person or entity;

engage in unauthorized spidering, “scraping,” or harvesting of content or information, or use any other unauthorized automated means to compile information;

take any action that imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our network or infrastructure;

use any device, software, or routine to interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of the Service or any activity conducted on the Service or attempt to probe, scan, test the vulnerability of, or breach the security of any system or network;

attempt to decipher, decompile, disassemble, or reverse-engineer any of the software comprising or in any way making up a part of the Service; or

engage in any other conduct that restricts or inhibits any person from using or enjoying the Services, or that, in our sole judgment, exposes us or any of our users, affiliates, or any other third party to any liability, damages, or detriment of any type.

Violations of system or network security may result in civil or criminal liability. We may investigate and work with law enforcement authorities to prosecute users who violate the Terms. We may suspend or terminate your access to the Services for any or no reason at any time without notice.

III. COPYRIGHTS

The Services are protected under the copyright laws of the United States and other countries. All copyrights in the Services are owned by us or our third-party licensors to the full extent permitted under the United States Copyright Act and all international copyright laws. You may not publish, reproduce, distribute, display, perform, edit, adapt, modify, or otherwise exploit any part of the Services without our written consent.

IV. LINKS TO THIRD-PARTY CONTENT

The Services may contain links to third-party content. We do not control, endorse, sponsor, recommend, or otherwise accept responsibility for such content. Use of any linked third-party content is at the user's own risk.

V. BINDING ARBITRATION AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY BECAUSE IT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS. BY AGREEING TO BINDING ARBITRATION, YOU WAIVE YOUR RIGHT TO LITIGATE DISPUTES THROUGH A COURT AND TO HAVE A JUDGE OR JURY DECIDE YOUR CASE.

In order to expedite and control the cost of disputes, we and you agree that any legal or equitable claim, dispute, action or proceeding arising from or related to the Services (“Dispute”) will be resolved as follows to the fullest extent permitted by law:

Notice of Dispute. In the event of a Dispute, you or we must give the other a Notice of Dispute, which is a written statement that sets forth the name, address, and contact information of the party giving it, the facts giving rise to the Dispute, and a proposed solution. You must send any Notice of Dispute by first class U.S. Mail to us at Mechanics' Institute, 57 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94104. We will send any Notice of Dispute to you by first class U.S. Mail to your address if we have it, or otherwise to your email address. You and we will attempt to resolve any Dispute through informal negotiation within sixty days from the date the Notice of Dispute is sent. After sixty days, you or we may commence arbitration.

Small Claims Court. You may choose to litigate any Dispute in small claims court (or the equivalent), if the Dispute meets all the requirements to be heard in small claims court. You may litigate in small claims court whether or not you first negotiated informally.

Binding Arbitration and Governing Law. If the Dispute is not resolved by informal negotiation or in small claims court, any other effort to resolve the Dispute will be conducted exclusively by binding arbitration as described in this section. You are giving up the right to litigate (or participate in as a party or class member) all Disputes in court before a judge or jury. Instead, all Disputes will be resolved before a neutral arbitrator, whose decision will be final except for a limited right of appeal under the Federal Arbitration Act. Any court with jurisdiction over the parties may enforce the arbitrator’s award. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Terms and any Dispute that might arise between you and us shall be governed by the laws of the State of California without regard to principles of conflicts of laws.

Class Action Waiver. Any proceedings to resolve or litigate any Dispute in any forum will be conducted solely on an individual basis. Neither you nor we will seek to have any Dispute heard as a class action or in any other proceeding in which either party acts or proposes to act in a representative capacity. No arbitration or proceeding will be combined with another without the prior written consent of all parties to all affected arbitrations or proceedings.

Arbitration Procedures. Any arbitration will be conducted by the American Arbitration Association (the “AAA”) under its Commercial Arbitration Rules in effect at the time the Dispute is filed. You may request a telephonic or in-person hearing by following the AAA rules. In a dispute involving $10,000 or less, any hearing will be telephonic unless the arbitrator finds good cause to hold an in-person hearing instead. The arbitrator may award the same damages to you individually as a court could. The arbitrator may award declaratory or injunctive relief only to you individually, and only to the extent required to satisfy your individual claim.

Arbitration Fees. Whoever files the arbitration pays the initial filing fee. If we file, we pay; if you file, you pay unless you get a fee waiver under the applicable arbitration rules. If you paid the initial filing fee and you prevail, we will reimburse you for that fee. If there is a hearing, we will pay any fees of the arbitrator and arbitration firm for the first day of that hearing. All other fees will be allocated as provided by the rules of the arbitration firm and applicable law. In no event will you be required to reimburse us for any arbitration filing, administrative, or hearing fees in an amount greater than what your court costs would have been if the Dispute had been resolved in a court with jurisdiction. However, we will advance or reimburse your fee if the arbitration firm or arbitrator determines there is good reason requiring us to do so, or if you ask us and we determine there is good reason for doing so. Each party will bear the expense of that party’s attorneys, experts, and witnesses, and other expenses, regardless of which party prevails, but a party may recover any or all expenses from another party if the arbitrator, applying applicable law, so determines.

Disputes must be filed within one year. To the extent permitted by law, any Dispute under this agreement must be filed within one year in small claims court or in an arbitration proceeding. The one-year period begins when the Dispute or Notice of Dispute first could be filed. If a Dispute isn't filed within one year, it's permanently barred.

Temporary Injunctive Relief. Prior to the appointment of an arbitrator, either party may seek temporary injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction without waiving its right to arbitration.

Severability. If any other provision of this section is found to be illegal or unenforceable, that provision will be severed, with the remainder of section V remaining in full force and effect. If this entire agreement to arbitrate is found to be illegal or unenforceable, the parties agree to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law that any Dispute relating to your use of the Services or these Terms must be resolved by a federal district court located in California, unless agreed upon by all parties. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located within the County of San Francisco, California.

VI. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

Your use of the Services is at your own risk. The Services are provided “as is” without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including without limitation warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, or other violation of rights. We do not warrant the adequacy, currency, accuracy, likely results, or completeness of the Services or any third-party sites linked to or from the Services, or that the functions provided will be uninterrupted, virus, or error-free. We expressly disclaim any liability for any errors or omissions in the content included in the Services or any third-party sites linked to or from the Services. some jurisdictions may not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so some of the above exclusions may not apply to you.

In no event will we, or our subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, and assigns be liable for any direct or indirect, special, incidental, consequential or punitive damages, lost profits, or other damages whatsoever arising in connection with the use of the Services, any interruption in availability of the Services, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus, loss of data, or use, misuse, reliance, review, manipulation, or other utilization in any manner whatsoever of the Services or the data collected through the Services, even if one or more of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages or loss. Any claim arising out of or connected with the Services will be limited to $100.

VII. INDEMNIFICATION

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold us and our subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents and assigns harmless from and against any and all loss, costs, expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses), claims, damages and liabilities related to or associated with your use of the Services and any alleged violation by you of these Terms. We reserve the right to assume the exclusive defense of any claim for which We are entitled to indemnification under this section. In such event, you shall provide us with such cooperation as we reasonably request.

VIII. MISCELLANEOUS

The Services are intended for use by residents of the United States. We do not intentionally provide access to the Services to individuals located outside the United States. These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and us, superseding any prior or contemporaneous communications and proposals (whether oral, written or electronic) between you and us. In the event any provision of these Terms is held unenforceable, it will not affect the validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions and will be replaced by an enforceable provision that comes closest to the intention underlying the unenforceable provision. You agree that no joint venture, partnership, employment, or agency relationship exists between you and us as a result of these Terms or your access to and use of the Services.

Our failure to enforce any provisions of these Terms or respond to a violation by any party does not waive our right to subsequently enforce any terms or conditions of the Terms or respond to any violations. Nothing contained in these Terms is in derogation of our right to comply with governmental, court, and law enforcement requests or requirements relating to your use of the Services or information provided to or gathered by us with respect to such use.

Welcome to the COVID-19 policy for Mechanics’ Institute

MI allows in-person services and activities for members and guests at full capacity. We are following library and venue best practices. 

Given recent changes to the San Francisco Bay Area Health Orders, masks are now optional for vaccinated MI members, visitors, and building guests. Please note that if you are not vaccinated, you are still required to wear a mask. In addition, if you are experiencing any COVID-related symptoms (i.e. fever, cough, headache, loss of taste or smell, etc. ), regardless of vaccination status, please stay home until you are feeling better.

If you have any questions about our library programs or services, please contact us at 415-393-0101 or email circulation@milibrary.org. If you are interested in learning more about our live chess activities or would like to schedule a time to visit the chess room, please contact us at(415) 393-0110 or  chessroom@milibrary.org.

We have many requests for photo shoots and filming at Mechanics’ Institute. Photo areas are limited to the stairwell and lobby. “Location shots” are not allowed.

No lighting or tripods may be used in taking a photograph, nor may any people be in the photograph.

Questions? Please contact Bobbie Monzon at (415) 393-0107 or bmonzon@milibrary.org.