1. Our new library is now equipped to be a community hub
It’s a grand and historic day for our community Saturday, April 28 as the doors to our stunning new library swing open to welcome patrons.
Libraries, like newspapers, are reacting to the digital world around them and evolving. Such it is with our new facility. It carries a hefty price tag – $34 million – but it’s going to serve this community in many ways for a long, long time. Libraries in 2012 are far more than an antiquated place to check out a dusty book, and ours is now equipped to handle all that comes with being a buzzing community hub.
What does that mean? It’s a place where adults can learn to read, a place where children can listen to stories that expose them to reading, a place where classes in technology and financial basics will be offered, a place where teens can study and a place where groups can hold meetings. It’s a community facility that’s open to the public and open, in a sense, to interpretation. “Use your imagination, use your library” is a good slogan for the times.
2. The offerings and possibilites are many under the new roof
A large turnout is expected, perhaps a thousand or more, at the Grand Opening Celebration Saturday. Hopefully, the speeches will be short and sweet and the tours long and detailed. There’s a lot to see inside.
That said, we would be remiss to not acknowledge those on the record who rallied around the library after the state of California repeatedly declined to approve any state library bond funds for the proposed project.
3. LIBRARY4GILROY group deserves credit in the first chapter
Our frustrated local group, LIBRARY4GILROY, rolled up their sleeves and went to work. Particular thanks are due this day to those dedicated members: Jay and Vicki Baksa (co-chairs); Carol and Hugh Smith; Conrad Lather; Phyllis Armenta; Carol De Santis; Bob Dillon; Connie Rogers; Bob Sigala; Bill Headley; Mary Yates; Lani Yoshimura; Eileen Cavallaro; Cecilia Weymouth; Peder Erikson and two who are no longer with us but who will be at the library opening in spirit, Linda Burnett and Kathleen Smith.
Thanks to them and thanks to Gilroy voters who, despite difficult economic times, took the long-term view and decided that a library facility would be a good investment in the future of our community.
