San Jose library could restrict archive access due to budget cuts - San Jose Spotlight

"The California Room inside the library may close its services to the public as the city looks for ways to tackle a $50 million shortfall, according to San Jose's proposed operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget would eliminate the librarian and clerk positions, as well as two part-time positions to save the city nearly $400,000 annually. While retrieval of physical materials may be available by appointment, advocates and local historians have decried this move, claiming it will severely limit access to the archives."

""A lot of the exhibits that they do are untold stories of our own area, of our own community, things that (we) have not learned in (our) schools," Darlene Tenes, board member at nonprofit History San Jose, told San José Spotlight. "Everything in there is very delicate artifacts, and you can't necessarily find stuff online because you have to know information. You need a person to speak to.""

"The room houses a trove of books detailing the various cultural groups who make up Santa Clara Valley, maps that show what San Jose was like decades before high-rises dotted downtown, resources that spell out which neighborhoods were redlined to prevent people of color from access to financial services and more. Last year, nearly 5,500 people stepped through the doors to sink into a snippet of the region's history."

"Lisa Marie Avila, board president of the Portuguese Historical Museum, said she's learned more about her Portuguese heritage not only as a California native, but as a San Jose resident, while poring through resources in the California Room."

Proposed San Jose budget cuts could limit public access to the California Room at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, which houses archives of San Jose and Santa Clara County history. The plan would eliminate the librarian and clerk positions and two part-time roles to save nearly $400,000 annually while the city addresses a $50 million shortfall. Physical materials retrieval may remain available by appointment, but advocates and local historians warn that removing staff will reduce access to curated exhibits and essential guidance. The room contains books on cultural groups, historical maps, and resources documenting neighborhood redlining. Nearly 5,500 people visited last year, and community members say the room helps them learn local heritage that is not available online.

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