Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library |
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| Campus entrance to the Library | |
| Country | United States |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 2003 |
| Location | 150 E. San Fernando Street San Jose, California |
| Coordinates | 37°20′08″N 121°53′06″W / 37.33545°N 121.88496°W |
| Collection | |
| Size | 1.6 million volumes |
| Access and use | |
| Population served | City of San Jose San Jose State University |
| Website | https://www.sjlibrary.org/ |
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library is a huge library in downtown San Jose, California. People often call it the MLK Library or the King Library. It opened on August 16, 2003.
This library is special because it's both a public library for the city of San Jose and the main library for San José State University. It's one of the biggest libraries in the western United States. It has eight floors and holds about 1.6 million books and other items.
In 2004, the King Library was named "Library of the Year". This award recognized how well it combines a city library and a university library. It was still the largest joint library in the U.S. on its tenth birthday in 2013. The building can welcome over 2,000 visitors at once.
Contents
Exploring the Library Building
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The King Library has many floors, each with different collections. The lowest level has public computers and magazines. You can find reference books on the second floor.
Finding Books and More
The City Library's books are on the third floor. Non-fiction books are organized by the Dewey Decimal System. Fiction books are sorted by the author's last name.
The University Library's books are on floors six to eight. These are organized using the Library of Congress Classification System. Sometimes, you might find the same book in both collections!
The Koret Atrium
The middle of the library is called the Koret Atrium. On the first floor, there's a big screen. It shows how many items the City Library System has loaned out since the year 2000. This number is always growing!
Study Spaces for Everyone
The library offers many places to study. The lower level, second, and third floors have lots of public computers. The fourth floor is great for students with laptops.
You can find large round tables on the lower floors for group study. Most floors also have quiet areas for individual research. Floors six and eight are "quiet study floors." The seventh floor is a "silent study floor," perfect for deep concentration.
Art Around the Library
As you explore the library, look for artworks by Mel Chin. This art series is called Recolecciones, which means "recollections" in Spanish.
Special Collections and Services
The library has some very special collections. These are usually on the fifth floor.
Unique Collections to Discover
- The Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies: This center focuses on the famous composer, Beethoven.
- The Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies: This collection is about the author John Steinbeck.
- A California History Room: Here you can learn about California's past.
- SJSU Special Collections & Archives: This holds unique historical documents.
- The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Collection: This important collection is on the third floor.
Computers and Printing
The library has many public computers. You can reserve time on them online. Students can also book study rooms. Some computers have special settings for different languages.
On the first floor, there's a kiosk with eight computers. You don't need a library card to use these, but your time is limited to 15 minutes. The lower level has about 20 public computers. Floors two and three each have about 50 computers. To use these, you need a San Jose city library card. You usually get two hours of use per day. If the computers aren't too busy, you might get more time!
The whole library has Wi-Fi. You need a city library card to use it. The Wi-Fi network is called "King_Library_WIFI".
You can print documents using cash or print cards. Copiers are also available on most floors.
Student Life at the Library
The King Library is a very important place for students at San Jose State University. They often come with their laptops to study. Many students work together in study groups at tables or in private study rooms.
After the library closes to the public, it stays open for "extended study hours." This means SJSU students, staff, and faculty can use it 24 hours a day. Students from other approved local schools can also use it during these hours.
Images for kids
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Southeast entrance
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Main street-side (northwest) entrance
