Belvedere-Tiburon Library

What Belvedere-Tiburon Library does

Belvedere-Tiburon Library is a public library operated as a Joint Powers Agency jointly governed by the City of Belvedere and the Town of Tiburon under California law. Founded in 1997 on land donated by the Zelinsky family, the library serves the combined communities of Belvedere and Tiburon in Marin County, California, with a patron base spanning children, teens, adults, and seniors (65+). The library completed a major physical expansion in 2019-2021, adding new building space, a new parking lot, and Zelinsky Plaza landscaping, supported by a community capital campaign that raised $15.5M of an $18M goal from over 1,000 donors.

The library operates a dual physical-digital service model. Physical offerings include traditional book/media lending, a Makerspace with 3D printing and VR technology, THE Gallery art exhibitions, Corner Books used bookstore, meeting rooms, and the Library of Things (non-traditional item lending). Digital services are delivered through OverDrive/Libby for ebooks and audiobooks, Kanopy for streaming video, Hoopla for digital media, and CENIC broadband (up to 1Gbps). The library is integrated into the MARINet consortium for shared catalog and interlibrary borrowing across Marin County, and the LINK+ network spanning 62 libraries in California and Nevada. Additional partnerships include Discover & Go (50+ museum passes) and the Library Speakers Consortium for virtual author events.

Revenue is derived from municipal funding (City of Belvedere and Town of Tiburon contributions, property tax allocations), donations through the Library Foundation, and minimal user fees. Overdue fines were eliminated in August 2019; remaining fees include $2.00 per interlibrary loan request and printing charges for non-cardholders. The library employs 20-50 staff and operates with extended hours (9am-8pm weekdays) following the 2024 schedule expansion. Service distribution occurs through walk-in access, the MARINet catalog, digital platforms, and community events including the Pop Up 94920 Speaker Series and seasonal programming.

Name

Belvedere-Tiburon Library

Legal name

Belvedere Tiburon Library

Website

https://beltiblibrary.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Belvedere-Tiburon Library is a public Joint Powers Agency library serving the communities of Belvedere and Tiburon, California, providing free access to books, digital resources, community programs, and a Makerspace for patrons of all ages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Resource Sharing Operations (EDAEAGAK)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Community programming
• Digital lending
• Makerspace access
• Interlibrary loans

Headquarters

HQ city

Belvedere Tiburon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: Primary funding through joint powers agreement between City of Belvedere and Town of Tiburon, with annual budget allocations and property tax contributions
2. Donations and Foundation Support: Library Foundation raises funds through donations, fundraising events, and capital campaigns including the expansion campaign
3. Fines and Fees: Eliminated overdue fines as of August 2019; replacement fees for lost/damaged materials still assessed. ILL fee of $2.00 per request
4. Printing Services: Printing revenue from non-cardholders: 10 cents per black/white page, 50 cents per color page. Cardholders receive 7 free pages daily

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Belvedere-Tiburon Library is a public library serving the communities of Belvedere and Tiburon in Marin County, California, operating as a Joint Powers Agency under California law. It provides free access to physical collections (books, magazines, movies, music), digital resources (ebooks, audiobooks, streaming video), and a range of community services including a Makerspace with 3D printing, an art gallery (THE Gallery), a volunteer-run used bookstore (Corner Books), interlibrary loans, museum passes, and age-specific programming for children, teens, adults, and seniors.

Product overview

Belvedere-Tiburon Library is a Joint Powers Agency providing public library services to the communities of Belvedere and Tiburon, California. The library offers a unified service portfolio combining physical collections (books, magazines, movies, music) with digital resources (ebooks, audiobooks, streaming video via Kanopy and hoopla). Key service areas include the Library of Things (tools and equipment lending), Makerspace (3D printing, VR, technology learning), THE Gallery (art exhibitions), Corner Books (used bookstore), and specialized patron services including genealogy research, one-on-one tech training, personalized reading recommendations, museum passes, interlibrary loans, and programs for children and teens. The catalog and borrowing system operates through the MARINet consortium, with digital content delivered via OverDrive/Libby, Kanopy, and hoopla platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Library of Things
• Makerspace
• THE Gallery
• Corner Books
• One Book One Coast
• OverDrive / Libby Digital Lending
• Kanopy Streaming
• Hoopla Digital Media
• Find Your Next Book
• One-on-One Tech Training
• InterLibrary Loans
• Discover & Go Museum Passes
• Printing Services
• Kids Programs
• Teen Services
• Genealogy Research Resources
• 3D Printing
• Live Streams and Virtual Author Events
• Computers and Wi-Fi

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ museums and cultural institutions accessible through Discover & Go partnership
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Town of TiburoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2019Joint Powers Agency partner contributing $600,000 toward public outdoor spaces including Town Center Plaza, new parking lot, and scenic walking path along the marsh. The Town and City of Belvedere jointly govern the library through the Belvedere Tiburon Library Agency.
• City of BelvederecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Powers Agency partner sharing governance and funding responsibilities for the Belvedere Tiburon Library Agency.
• MARINetcoreTechnology or IntegrationMarin County library consortium providing shared catalog, interlibrary borrowing, and unified library services across member libraries.
• LINK+coreTechnology or IntegrationConsortium of 62 libraries across California and Nevada enabling free interlibrary borrowing for Belvedere Tiburon Library patrons.
• Alten ConstructioncoreOthersMarin-based general contractor selected for the library expansion and renovation project. Contractor for the expansion completed in 2021, including new building addition, remodeling, new parking lot, and Zelinsky Plaza landscaping.
• BRW ArchitectscoreOthersSan Francisco-based architectural firm serving as lead architects for the library expansion project.
• Library Speakers ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership bringing virtual author events and bestselling author programming to library patrons.
• Discover & GominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing free and discounted passes to 50+ museums and cultural institutions in the greater Bay Area.
• Zelinsky FamilycoreOthersEdward Zelinsky, his wife Laleh, and sister Barbara Zelinsky Abrams donated the land where the Library and Town Hall stand, as well as the grassy park along the marsh - a foundational gift enabling the library's existence.
• Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (De Young and Legion of Honor)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree admission passes available for two visits per year for residents of 94920 zip code with library card; two people admitted per pass.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mill Valley Public Library: Small Marin County public library of comparable size, serving a similar affluent Bay Area town with similar collections, programming, and consortium participation. Most directly comparable in scale, funding model, and patron demographics.
• Sausalito Public Library: Adjacent Marin County municipal library serving Sausalito with overlapping patron geography and shared MARINet consortium membership. Highly comparable in funding model, hours, and small-staff structure.
• Larkspur Public Library: Small Marin County municipal library serving the City of Larkspur, sharing the same MARINet consortium and similar municipal funding structure. Closely comparable in service mix and scale.

Broad incumbents

• Marin County Free Library: County-wide library system covering most unincorporated Marin County and smaller municipalities; operates the MARINet consortium that BTLA belongs to. Larger and more established, serving as the consortium's administrative backbone.
• San Francisco Public Library: Major Bay Area urban library system offering a vastly larger collection, more branches, and more programs. Serves as a regional benchmark for programming and innovation, though operating at far greater scale.
• Berkeley Public Library: Mid-sized Bay Area municipal library with strong programming and digital lending footprint. Comparable in operating model (municipal funding, free public access) but larger in scale and community reach.
• Oakland Public Library: Large Bay Area urban library system operating multiple branches with a comparable service mix (Makerspace, tech training, digital lending). Much larger scale and more complex demographic reach.
• Contra Costa County Library: County library system in the East Bay providing comparable public library services to a larger geography. Relevant for benchmarking programming and digital service delivery at a broader scale.
• Alameda County Library: Major East Bay county library system serving multiple municipalities with shared catalog and programming. Similar governance model with multi-municipal funding support.

Others

• Pacific Library Partnership: Regional library cooperative serving California and Nevada libraries; relevant as an enabling/ecosystem peer that supports shared services, training, and advocacy for libraries like Belvedere-Tiburon.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/beltiblibrary
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQV50fu9ViskK6AfpkDZOWg
• Facebookfacebook.com/beltiblibrary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/belvedere-tiburon-library

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Belvedere-Tiburon Library