Community Celebrates Opening of Tully Community
Branch Library
New Facility Embodies a New Approach
to the Design of Library Environments
January 22, 2005 -
Tully neighborhood residents gathered Saturday to celebrate the
opening of Tully
Community Branch Library. The 24,300 square foot facility
designed by Anderson Brulé Architects, Inc. (San José,
CA) and constructed by Ralph Larsen & Son, Inc. (Belmont,
CA), enters San José history as the:
- First San José Public Library branch located in the Tully
Road neighborhood
- Second library completed with funding provided by a $212 million
branch improvement bond measure approved by voters in November
2000
- First branch to include a Family Learning Center with programs
and equipment supporting adult learning and family literacy
- Branch with one of the largest collection of Vietnamese language
materials outside of San José’s Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. Library
“Thanks to our voters who know the value of libraries and
strongly support them, the Tully Community Branch Library will
add to this neighborhood’s quality of life,” said
Mayor Ron Gonzales. “Today's celebration reflects our community's
firm priority to invest in opportunities for learning, literacy,
and discovery that will enrich the lives of our families in every
area of San José.”
Tully Community Branch Library is the most complete expression
to date of San José’s new approach to designing library
environments. The library worked with the design team to achieve
its vision for dynamic spaces and experiences that transform the
traditional library into one relevant to today’s diverse
and sophisticated users.
“For some time now we’ve been experimenting with
and refining the management of interior spaces within the confines
of existing branches,” said San José Public Library
Director Jane Light. “The library we’re opening today
embodies lessons learned from those experiences filtered through
what residents have told us they want.”
The new library features:
- Seats: 135
- Public Computers: 42
- Group Study areas: 24 persons
- Storytelling Area: 30 persons
- Community Room: 109 persons
- Parking: 70 spaces
The location also features proximity to five Little League fields
and the Coyote Creek Trail. The design references the agricultural
heritage of the site and establishes a benchmark for other libraries
to be constructed under the Branch Library Bond Program. The project
incorporated green design principles and was completed $600,000
under budget at a total project cost of $10.5 million.
Nationally recognized, Southern California artist Cliff Garten
created the public art for the project. Two “cloud-like”
sculptures, positioned over the foyer and the Internet café,
are a visual juxtaposition of agricultural and technological references
that address the ambiguity of an agricultural past and technological
future.
For more information, contact:
• Lorraine Oback, San José Public Library, at (408)
808-2176
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