The new $177 million-dollar new San Jose public library opened to day, and I am writing this, my first entry from California, from one of the 366 carrels with web access (this carrel, with green stickers, is for people who bring their own laptops and plug into the library network for free).
This new library is impressive–8 floors, with great reading room spaces a la Barnes & Nobel before they took the desks out of the stores, amazing light, computers everywhere, classrooms, meeting rooms, art pieces–far more than I have seen in my 45 minutes of walking around, trying to find a working data port.
My new home is about 10 blocks away, and I think I will be spending alot of time here–until I get DSL access installed in my new place, I may move into the library just for that.
Interestingly enough, in a city known for both for technology and weak public schools, the library is the first city/university collaboration in the country–it will be funded, managed, and operated by both entities. The vision statement says:
“SJLibrary.org reflects the best of cooperative efforts between a major city and a major university – a collaboration supported by Silicon Valley’s innovators and leaders.”
The new web site for the library is here.
The new $177 million-dollar new San Jose public library opened to day, and I am writing this, my first entry from California, from one of the 366 carrels with web access (this carrel, with green stickers, is for people who bring their own laptops and plug into the library network for free).
This new library is impressive–8 floors, with great reading room spaces a la Barnes & Nobel before they took the desks out of the stores, amazing light, computers everywhere, classrooms, meeting rooms, art pieces–far more than I have seen in my 45 minutes of walking around, trying to find a working data port.
My new home is about 10 blocks away, and I think I will be spending alot of time here–until I get DSL access installed in my new place, I may move into the library just for that.
Interestingly enough, in a city known for both for technology and weak public schools, the library is the first city/university collaboration in the country–it will be funded, managed, and operated by both entities. The vision statement says:
“SJLibrary.org reflects the best of cooperative efforts between a major city and a major university – a collaboration supported by Silicon Valley’s innovators and leaders.”
The new web site for the library is here.