Ten Years Later: A Joint Library Evolves

In 2003, a unique joint library was created. A partnership between the San Jose Public Library system and San Jose State University, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library serves a city population of more than a million and a campus population of over 30,000 students. With different patrons and different missions, bringing the two library cultures and functions together presented many challenges, but the library today is a vital, innovative space for learning. In the ten years since its opening, however, the cost savings envisioned when the library was created have not been realized. Also, the partnership originally presented in the library's organizational structure has undergone alterations. This restructuring was driven by changes in funding, staffing, and patron needs. Despite this organizational evolution, the King Library still provides a richer resource to its communities than either partner could have provided alone and can serve as a model to other communities considering the creation of a joint library.