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King Library Earthquake Recovery Complete

November 5, 2007 -

SAN JOSE, CALIF – On October 30, 2007, a 5.4 earthquake (early reports indicated 5.6) hit San José, California, its epicenter roughly 9 miles northeast of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. The quake struck at approximately 8:00 p.m., prompting an immediate evacuation of the 8-floor structure and dislodging more than 300,000 volumes from the uppermost floors. Worst hit were the top three floors containing San José State University Library's research collections. Thirty-six hours shy of a week (and roughly 900 staff hours) later, all floors have returned to normal operations thanks to a concerted joint effort on the part of San José Public and San José State University Library staff. Staff at all levels who weren't covering a public service desk – including an "angel" – pitched in to restore access as soon as possible.

Hundreds of thousands of books filled the aisles at San José's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library following the 5.6 quake that struck the area at 8:04 p.m. on October 30, 2007.		SJSU Administrative Analyst Bridget Kowalczyk, dressed in Halloween apparel, is one of many library staff, both public and university, who left their regular assignments to join pages and aides in the monumental task of quickly reshelving more than 300,000 volumes dislodged by the quake.

For more information, contact:
• Lorraine Oback, San José Public Library, at (408) 808-2176
• Pat Harris, San José State University, at (408) 924-1748

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