Schools
Aside from the hundreds of teachers and students who will benefit by taking advantage of all the amenities Gilroy’s new library has to offer, city and school officials have established a business/education partnership to spearhead a citywide Literacy Campaign; something Gilroy School Board Co-President Rhoda Bress said couldn’t be better timed.
City and school officials spearheading the movement will identify library programs that are associated with the Literacy Campaign, Bress said.
“By building such a magnificent library, the city is sending a strong message about the priorities of literacy and reading. I have no doubt that our district will be tapping into this wonderful resource for study, research, classroom visits and discussion,” she said.
City
With the brand-new library situated in the heart of Gilroy’s government hub near City Hall and the Gilroy Police Department, City Administrator Tom Haglund said the spacious library and its plethora of private rooms will provide additional ways to accommodate retreats, training sessions, workshops and committee meetings. The library’s state-of-the-art audio/visual equipment and comfortable seating will be ideal for those types of scenarios, he said.
“There’s a multitude of different uses those facilities would be very beneficial to us for,” he said.
Community
As Head Librarian Lani Yoshimura put it, “there’s a tremendous amount of stuff going on Opening Day. It’s almost frightening.”
Not only that, there’s a tremendous amount of “stuff” going on at the library most days, all of the time.
With summer just around the corner, the library’s Summer Reading Clubs – which have been around since the 1970s and cater to children, teens and adults through different activities and resources – will kick off soon.
The system is an accessible tool for engaging youngsters, a proactive outlet for idle teens and an easy way to get connected with discussion groups. Yoshimura points out that reading incentives help bridge the gap between spring and fall, when thinking skills become dull if the mind isn’t stimulated.
Other activities such as open poetry readings, a reading program for babies and their parents, periodic used book sales and a new reading program that uses specially trained animals to encourage children to read are all on tap. Keep an eye on the library’s website for dates and details: www.santaclaracountylib.org/gilroy.
