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Happy New Year, San Jose.
This Monday, we observe and celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., on January 20, 2025. Widely considered the face of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., inspired those of his lifetime and his future to take a stand against systematic oppression.
Dedication of the Library
Thirty-five years ago, the San Jose Public Library renamed our San Carlos Street main library location the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Library. A quick search through the library’s online San Jose Mercury News archive, and you’ll find the story of the renaming of the main library.
The city pondered renaming either the airport, hospital or the library after Martin Luther King, Jr. Ultimately, it was the main library to be “our first choice… because Dr. King placed a great emphasis on education. And the library and city council agreed that the library would be a fitting memorial to Dr. King’s efforts,” said Ron McPherson, a member of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of San Jose.¹
The former main library built in 1970, eventually became the site of the today’s San Jose McEnery Convention Center. A new Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Library was built on SJSU’s Washington Square at the corner of Fourth and San Fernando Street in 2003, becoming a joint SJSU and SJPL Library.
Visit the King Collection and Exhibit
Accommodating that ceremony was the launch of a new exhibit, documenting the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Assistant City Librarian Virginia Carpio expressed in a Mercury News column:
”The exhibit will be like a mosaic of civil rights, and the civil rights movement,” said Virginia Carpio, assistant city librarian. “It will document Dr. King, his life, and local Bay Area people who were involved in the civil rights movement.”
The exhibit will consist of more than 50 photographs of King during his lifetime, along with a scrapbook documenting his life that will be prepared by members of the community, and material from the National Archives and the King Center in Atlanta Georgia.
”The exhibit will be integrated into a prominent part of the library. Dr. King was a national hero and we feel that he was a very worthwhile hero to emulate,” Carpio said. “We feel like the values that Dr. King installed are what we want to come through in this exhibit, because they are the same values, with an emphasis on education, that the public library shares.”²
The exhibit that launched back in 1990 is still on display today and surrounds the King Collection on the 3rd floor of King Library. The exhibit has been refreshed this week leading up to MLK Day, and we welcome all to explore it along side the King Collection of Civil Rights Movement books and media.
Further Reading:
San Jose Public Library Card holders have access to the San Jose Mercury News online. Follow this link and enter your SJPL card and pin number to begin. This database contains articles from as early as 1884 to present, however, for some articles after 1985 there may not be an image of the print edition. If you would like to view images of the print edition on microfilm for articles after 1985, please visit the California Room on the 5th floor of King Library.
References
- Guido, Michelle. “Library to be Renamed in King’s Honor.” San Jose Mercury News (CA), January 10, 1990: 1. NewsBank: Mercury News – Historical and Current. https://infoweb-newsbank-com.sjezpt01.sjlibrary.org/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=news/0EB7316C2379D8D7.
- Ibid.