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A Big Event for a Big Library

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library Celebration on August 16
Offers Free, Fun Activities for the Whole Family

August 11, 2003 -

A free community event celebrating the opening of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, an innovative collaboration between the City of San José and San José State University, is scheduled for Saturday, August 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature a wide variety of fun activities for the whole family, both inside the new library and outside on the SJSU campus. The library will be closed on Friday, August 15, for final preparations.

The King Library, which opened for business on August 1, is the first library in the U.S. to be jointly owned and operated by a city and major university. Its nine levels of books, periodicals, videos, CDs, computer terminals and other resources are available to everyone.

A formal dedication ceremony is set for 10 a.m. on August 16 with dignitaries from the City, the University and the California State University Chancellor’s Office. At the ceremony’s conclusion, event attendees will be invited to enter the Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. Library and “Check It Out,” as well as enjoy free performances on two outdoor stages, more than 50 hands-on activities for children, displays and demonstrations from City and University departments, and information booths staffed by community organizations. San José Taiko and Symphony Silicon Valley will kick off the afternoon’s performances at 11 a.m. At 1:30 p.m., a special dedication ceremony will be held on the fifth floor balcony recognizing celebrated artist Mel Chin, creator of the King Library Public Art Collection. Balloon artists, storytelling, face painting, food booths, and other festive activities round out the day. Commemorative book bags will be distributed to the first 10,000 celebration guests.

As the public explores the 475,000-square-foot building, a six-member team will continue its challenge of the Guinness World Record for longest non-stop reading aloud. Members of the “King’s Dream Team” will begin reading on Wednesday, August 13, at 10 a.m. and have vowed not to stop until they surpass the current record of 53 hours and 2 minutes. Visitors are invited to stop by the Guinness challenge site on the second floor of the library to encourage the team.

From 1 to 3 p.m., young readers will have the opportunity to meet and get autographs from five well known children’s authors and illustrators: John Clapp, Carol Hughes, Megan McDonald, Elisa Kleven, and Robert San Souci. Books for signing may be purchased at the library. Souvenir autograph bookmarks will be distributed free during the “I’ll never forget the day I met…” event.

Mystery lovers will enjoy having tea with author Robin Burcell, who is providing 100 free copies of her latest book— “Deadly Legacy”—at 3 p.m. Bingo fans may compete for a chance to win autographed copies of new books during Book Bingo from 1-2 p.m. Others who are interested in winning prizes can play the “Where in the library is….” supersleuth contest. All they have to do is find 10 specific locations in the library and then turn in completed, stamped cards for a drawing to win gifts, including a new computer. The first 3,000 contestants will receive a souvenir magnifying glass key chain.

Almost every nook of the King Library will feature some type of activity. The Special Collections area on the fifth floor will display rare books from the private collection of Adobe founder John Warnock and short films will be shown continuously in the Cultural Heritage Center – Africana, Asian-American, Chicano. There will be an exhibit tracing the 100-year history of a library at the 4th & San Fernando site and an illustrated talk about John Steinbeck presented by the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies. The Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies will sponsor two musical performances and a talk by founder Ira F. Brilliant.

The fun continues outside on the Tower Hall and Fountain Lawn areas of the SJSU campus. The “Read To Me Stories, Sing To Me Rhymes” stage, sponsored by FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, will feature dancing, singing, bilingual storytelling, and music performances by a variety of diverse local groups. On the HP Dedication Stage, the Symphony Silicon Valley will be followed by performances by Ballet San José Silicon Valley, San José Repertory Red Ladder Company, American Music Theatre, Opera San José, Ernie Reyes World Action Team, and the SJSU Mosaic Cross-Cultural Center. Other performing groups will be located at the Fourth and San Fernando entrance and at spots inside the library.

In hands-on activity areas throughout the Tower Hall area, children can create artwork and crafts they can take home, aided by representatives of FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, the San José Museum of Art, Children’s Discovery Museum, the Tech Museum of Innovation, and the MLK Association. Other hands-on activities will be available at additional booths surrounding the library.

Celebration participants will be able to obtain library cards that day for use on a future visit or at any one of 17 branch libraries who will be providing service from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on August 16. Regular library services at the King Library, including checkout, reference and online research, will be suspended during the festivities. For more information, call (408) 808-2000.

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