Trustees of the California State University. All rights reserved.
© 2008 Trustees of the California State University. All rights reserved.
The collection is open for research.
Copyright is assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections and Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections and Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
San José State University and the San José Public Library System Joint Library Project Records, MSS-2009-08-05, San José State University Library Special Collections and Archives.
Collection processed by Robert Donahue. Finding aid EAD encoded by Mary Ellen Petrich. Reviewed by Danelle Moon and Erin Louthen.
This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year
In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San José, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized 200,000 dollars to construct a new building on the same site. Completed in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes, Minns' Normal School is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations, and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.
In 1996, SJSU President Robert L. Caret and San José Mayor Susan Hammer began early discussions to build a joint library, and in 1998 the two entities signed an operating agreement. Complex planning efforts began in 1999 and in 2003 the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library opened to the public. The completion of the 475,000-square foot library--the largest library to be built at one time west of the Mississippi--under budget and on schedule became known as "the miracle on Fourth Street." The amount of planning and productivity to carry out this innovative venture required multiple layers of collaboration, fund-raising, and support from a diverse community of users.
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library provides combined services for the campus community of 30,000 students, SJSU faculty and staff, and to the larger community population of close to one million people. The merger has enhanced access and discovery to a wealth of resources, from books, e-books, databases, audiovisual materials, and primary sources to an expansive public art collection. The library opened in 2003 despite initial opposition from some university faculty and members of the community at large. Today the library serves as a gateway from K-12 to higher education, and has become the cornerstone for life-long learning in the region.
San José State University Library Records, MSS-2009-03-03, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.
The San José State University and the San José Public Library System Joint Library Project Records, 1994-2005 (bulk 1998-2000) document the planning and construction of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. The records consist of administrative files, architectural files and renderings, legal files, newspaper clippings, photographs, and promotional materials.
This collection is arranged into three series: Series I. General Joint Library Files, 1997-2005 (bulk 1998-2000); Series II. Architectural Files, 1994-2003 (bulk 1999); and Series III. Promotional Materials, 1998-2003.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
The materials in this series document the planning and construction of the joint library, from conceptualization to the building's grand opening in August 2003. The series includes architectural specifications, correspondence, general files, meeting minutes, reports, and technology and network information.
This series is arranged chronologically by date range.
The materials in this series document architectural plans concerning the joint library project. Included are concept drawings for the building, as well as items and materials suggested for use in the interior such as furniture and library stacks and shelving. Also included are photographs and consultant files on the joint library project.
This series is arranged chronologically by date range.
This series documents various types of materials used to promote the joint library project, including media coverage of the building’s construction and grand opening. Several different formats are represented in the series, including newspaper clippings, photographs, t-shirt samples, and audiovisual materials.
This series is arranged chronologically by date range.