Biotechnology Learning Center

A unique community resource for biotechnology information.

When the new San Mateo Main Library opened on August 27, 2006, it included the nation's first biotechnology center in a public library.  The Biotechnology Learning Center was imagined and created by the Library in partnership with local education and industry experts to provide access to biotechnology resources, programs to increase understanding of biotechnology to the general public, and to help prepare individuals to work in biotechnology.  

Biotech Learning Center San Mateo Main Library 2018

The Center offers:

Biotechnology Resources 

  • Books: over 850 titles available to borrow, and numerous reference books.  Topics include genetics, the history of biotechnology, precision medicine, gene editing, DNA and ancestry/genetic genealogy, epigenetics, biotechnology careers, laboratory protocols, drug discovery, and more.  
  • Journals: Scientific and medical titles not usually found in a public or school library, including New Scientist, New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, and Science.
  • Electronic resources, some of which are accessible from home with a San Mateo Public Library card.

Free public lectures on biotechnology, health, and other science topics, presented by renown researchers and experts.  Lecture topics have included CRISPR, genetic genealogy, longevity science, ethnobotany, epigenetics, microbiome, virology, forensic science, and more. 

For more information, sign up for the Biotechnology Learning Center's quarterly e-newsletter. (Your email address will not be used for any other purpose.)