The Martin Luther King Jr. Library, a collaborative effort of the city and San Jose State University on the corner of Fourth and San Fernando streets, is a tunnel to the past and a window to tomorrow.
It is the first library to be managed and operated by a city and a major university. It continues to receive interest from other cities and remains the largest joint university/public library in the country. Besides being a San Jose tradition, the building is a landmark, attracting visitors from all over the world since opening 10 years ago.
The library held a grand opening/dedication on Aug. 16, 2003. Planning and construction of the 475,000-square-foot, eight-story building took six years.
Management delayed the 10th anniversary celebration until this month to account for summer vacations.
The celebration began Sept. 5, with a 30-minute kickoff that included SJSU president Mohammad Quayoumi and San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. Quayomi discussed 10 years of the award-winning partnership and unveiled a time capsule. Also present was former mayor Ronald James, who was at the opening of the odl main library on San Carlos Street in 1970.
The time capsule was placed into the main building 43 years ago when the predecessor to the current library was dedicated. Besides a letter from James showing how much the city has changed and how much it’s remained the same, the capsule contained tape recordings of the first interviews broadcast on KBAY, which then was called KPER. The interview was with head librarian Geraldine Nurney.
The time capsule was stuffed with press clippings from its opening on April 20, 1970, and a photo of Nurney. She was San Jose’s eighth city librarian and held the position for 27 years. Her work led the city to expand its system, and by 1970 there were branches in Willow Glen, West Valley, Seven Trees, Rose Garden, Hillview, East San Jose, Cambrian, Calabazas and Berryessa.
The system now has 23 branches, with another on the way, and serves nearly one million residents and more than 30,000 SJSU students.
Among the capsules contents were business cards from Frank Burroughs of Carl N. Wenson Co., city clerk Francis Greiner and assistant city clerk Roy Hubbard; the city’s charter; a periodical containing news notes of California libraries from October 1958; the library’s annual report from 1968; the agreement for the library’s construction grant, dated July 1965; the dedication program and invitation from the library’s opening; and a fact sheet about the library.
James’ letter noted that the city contained 125 square miles and 445,000 people. “By the time you read this the city will contain 250 square miles and two million people,’ He wrote,” and I’m certain you are the mayor of a major city in the Western United States.”
And San Jose has grown. It’s now 179,965 square miles with 984,299 people in its borders. It’s the third largest city in California and 10th largest in the nation.
Twenty years after the library was built, it was renamed after Martin Luther King Jr. In late 1988, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of San Jose was looking for a memorial for King and the civil rights movement. After considering a park in Berryessa along with the San Jose Medical Center and the city’s airport, it came up with the main library.
Once the city council and then-mayor Tom McEnery voted to dedicate the building in King’s honor, the city provided $25,000 for the renaming ceremony and purchase of materials from the National Archives and the King Center in Atlanta. The exhibit was located in a section of the second floor and documented King’s life and Bay Area residents involved in the civil rights movement.
The library made a list of things popular during the 1970s. This included music by the Beatles, the Carpenters and Simon and Garfunkel and television shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Partridge Family, MASH and All In the Family.
People were reading fiction including The Godfather by Mario Puzo, Love Story by Erich Segal and The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles. They also were reading nonfiction such as Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask by David Reuben, The Selling of the President 1968 by Joe McGiniss and The Sensuous Woman by Joan Garrity.
Attractions around the city included the Frontier Village Amusement Park, which closed in 1980; Eastridge Mall, which opened in 1971; the Rosicrucian Museum; and Alum Rock Park.
Over the past 10 years volunteers donated 57,145 hours to the library. There have been 883 group visits that included 32,827 people. Residents have reserved a total of 6,405,802 computers, and 1,945,857 reference questions have been answered. People have checked out 19,004,865 items, and 25,698,895 people have visited the library. Adult learners numbering 14,492 received 85,703 hours of tutoring, and the library has featured more than 150 exhibits.
As part of its month-long anniversary celebration, the King Library will host the American Music Film Series including blues and gospel on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. It will be followed by Broadway Music on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. with the same program scheduled for Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. Two jazz programs will be presented on Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 28 at 1:30.
The library and SJSU art and art history department will present an exhibition of 18 watercolors created by the university’s art students under direction of professor Gale Antokal. The works depict interior and exterior library landscapes. They will be in view on the fourth floor through Sept. 30. A catalogue of watercolors will also be available for sale.
Tours will be available. Groups of 10-60 people need reservations. Docent led general tours are given on Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. Armchair tours are conducted on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. A one-hour program describing the unique public art in the library is available by reservation for retirement communities and senior centers. Tour reservations must be made before the 15th of the month prior to the desired date. For more information. call 408.808.2181 or email volunteer.sjpl@sjlibrary.org.
An exhibit titled “Beethoven’s Fame” is part of the anniversary programming. It will be on view through Oct. 31. Located at the Beethoven Center, room 580, the exhibit explores Beethoven’s talents from 1783 to 1827 with reviews of his concerts, his compositions and his associations with leading musicians in Vienna, France, England and beyond. It includes original manuscript letters, portrait engravings, works dedicated to him and tributes in literature and art.
From Sept. 1 through Dec. 1, visitors can view an exhibit on Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. This offers a look into the background and history of the work and features cover art from U.S. and international editions, movie posters, headlines and quotes from book reviews of the times and letters discussing the book’s ban. It’s located at the King Library’s Steinbeck Center.
Instagram users can show off their smart phone photo skills by entering the library’s contest as part of the anniversary celebration. The contest runs through Sept. 16 and offers Visa gift card prizes of $50 for first place; $30 for second and $20 for third.
Pictures must feature an aspect of the library building, and photographers must have consent from those in the photo. Winners will be determined by the number of likes received. The contest winners will be announced Sept. 17. All photos must use the hashtag #kinglibrary10 in the caption.
Kids can take part in the Hunt for King’s Underground Books and enter to win a Visa gift card. Within certain library bookshelves are 11 underground vaults located throughout the library. The vaults contain books that at some point in time were banned, burned or censored. Kids are asked to find the hidden vaults and write the names of six of these books on the form.
Forms are located in the children’s library on the first floor. Each completed sheet goes into a drawing for a VISA card. The contest runs through Sept. 30.
For more information about the library and the 10th anniversary celebration, visit sjlibrary.org/10th.