Library Habitues

Miranda Squires
Preface
Passion, angst, joy and suspense are all emotions one might feel while reading an enticing book.
Books equip dreamers with fantasy, historians with fact, students with needed information and
the more opportunistic reader with whatever they feel drawn to at the time.
A library serves many purposes as well, and one of the most important is to offer patrons a
welcoming place to read, study and enjoy. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, located on the
corner of San Fernando and Fourth streets in San Jose, may be filled with exceptional art
installations specialized for each of its eight floors, but its true beauty lies in its loyal public
patrons, San Jose State University students and even those who call it home.
The King Library is still the biggest joint, public and university combination, library in the United
States in 2013, according to the Penn Institute for Urban Research. This library not only serves
as the main King and civil rights movement memorial, according to the San Jose Mercury News,
but also as the main hub for all San Jose public libraries and California State Universities.
Whether delivering an overwhelming caliber of books to consumers and large organizations,
creating study areas for hardworking students, or providing a local shelter for those whom
cannot afford or find shelter of their own, the library brings together a diverse conglomeration
of people from many walks of life.
Because the library welcomes and immerses so many people in the love language of books, this
profile series features library patrons, students, and staff who all use the library in different
ways.
Chapter 1: Mark
As a group of break dancers form a circle outside the King Library campus side entrance, they
begin playing a unique version of spin the bottle where whomever the bottle points to has to
dance. With an abundant amount of smooth cement with a marble-like texture and a roof, this
location provides Mark Pereya and other talented break dancers with weather protection and
an ideal surface that makes hitting a move look easy, although its far from it.
By at least 3 p.m. daily, members of the King Library Rockers, a San Jose State University-based
break dancing club, assemble laptops and loud speakers to play upbeat music and create an
inviting atmosphere for break dancing.

Among these talented dancers is 22-year-old communication studies senior Pereyra, president
of the club, who began break dancing in high school after he saw how much fun his friends
were having and has been with the club for four years now. He explained how his college
experience has basically been consumed by his affiliation with the club, and how not only his
love for break dancing has grown, but how he has formed relationships with the people he
dances with, as well.
Pereyra is a confident, motivating team member who encourages himself and others to draw
inspiration from observing other kinds of athletic movement, such as fusing sports like
gymnastics and ballet together to create original moves. But his creativity doesnt stop with
dance.
Pereyra is inherently a writer and says that he uses his time with the break dancing club as a
way to express himself, relieve stress in between classes, and fuel his creativity inside the
classroom. He explains how sometimes while he is hitting a move like a 1990, where he spins
on his hand or a baby freeze, where he balances his waist on his elbow, he will think of ideas
for a paper he has to write.
I feel really creative just because I get to express myself, Pereyra said.
Because Pereyra is a commuter from Milpitas, he also uses the library for studying and getting
together with his friends since it provides a middle ground kind of location. That being said, for
Pereyra, the library is an environment where he can find intellectual creativity as well as
physical creativity.
Chapter 2: Alan
The lower level of the library seems to be less popular among students, but it provides a quiet,
private environment for other patrons such as Alan, a man with a furrowed brow, bold
diction and a ball cap, who refers to it as home.
Although Alan may want people to think otherwise, he has a kind heart and a gentle spirit. He
has a tough exterior, but with more and more questions and as patience seems to be fleeting,
Alans initial snarky rapport was always followed by the honest and dignified truth.
Having retired as a 35-year-old with plenty of equity to spare, Alan never thought his life would
change so quickly after getting mixed up with the wrong crowd. After being incarcerated for 10
months, serving a sentence for a crime he did not commit, he was released with only the
clothes on his back.
Alan took what he had learned from his engineering degree from Cal Poly and his ever-present
quest for knowledge, for fire, and started going to the San Jose Public Library years ago. After

receiving enough funds to enroll in an Advanced Machining Technology course at De

Anza College, he was able to hone his engineering skills and become passionate about
Computer Aided Design, or CAD, which he is currently trying to pursue as a career.
Im what you call a library rat, Alan exclaims. Because the library is free, it provides a warm
environment where he, among many others can sleep, surf the Internet, work on CAD projects,
read magazines and sometimes even use the facilities to bathe since he does not always have
the luxury of doing so.
Presently, Alan is a volunteer for the Downtown Streets Team, an organization that provides
homeless and low-income men and women with the resources they need to rebuild their
lives, according to the organizations official website. Alan is involved in picking up trash and
helping with landscaping on busy streets and freeways; however, he always makes time to visit
the library and coming almost daily for at least three hours at a time. When his friends want to
see him they come to the library; Alan says, This is my office!
King Library provides its patrons with an office environment for daily work tasks, a warm shelter
during a rainy day and a resource for knowledge, but for Alan the library is a multipurpose
location that makes him feel at home.
Chapter 3: Yvonne
Did someone say Girl Scout Cookies?
A full-time mom, a dedicated, 19-year employee of the City of San Jose and a Publishing Mom
for SanJose.MacaroniKid.com, a website focused on helping parents and their kids get involved
in fun activities in the San Jose area, Yvonne Cabral has worked as the network engineer at the
public library for 11 years.
Cabral supervises the help desk and desktop teams at King Library who equip patrons and staff
with the technological devices they need. Cabral and her team work diligently to make
technology accessible to those who frequent the library which reaches far beyond patrons
being able to play games. The computers are used to keep in contact with friends and family,
pursue advanced education or even make a living.
Cabral has a very giving spirit and is no stranger to the cravings of her coworkers for yummy
treats to munch on during a hard work day. Since this is her first year as a Girl Scout troop
leader and her 10-year-old daughter has just become a Junior Girl Scout, Cabral enlisted the
help of her fellow library employees to help her daughter reach her selling goal.
Her daughter, who loves to draw, created a cute sign that is taped on the door leading to her
office. The sign advertises the cookies for $5 a box and Cabral also has a friendly note about the

cookies written in Expo marker on the white board in the main work area. These small do-ityourself adverts make Cabrals colleagues more than willing to fall victim to a scrumptious
cookie frenzy.
Cabral also has a 5-year-old son who loves to play in the childrens section of the library, and
likes to use the library to check out books for her daughter.
We love the staff who are always so helpful, she said. They always know how to help!
Although, Cabral works at the library, that is not the only purpose the King Library serves in her
life. With her devotion to her kids, she has helped to educate local parents about fun activities
the library and other branches provide for children.
Chapter 4: Joshua
Because the library is located in the heart of Downtown San Jose, it is important for patrons,
whether they be public or university students, to be respectful and to lend a helping hand when
necessary. This is just one of the reasons why Joshua Gatihi feels drawn to the King Library.
When Gatihi was younger he was a frequent troublemaker, so teachers would advise him to go
to the library in order to stay out of trouble. Upon taking that advice, his fascination with the
library was ignited, not just with the silence and tranquility that filled his mind in the middle of
a busy day, but with the knowledge surrounding him and the seemingly endless amount of
books on any topic one could want. The library makes him feel secure.
Sometimes Gatihi uses the library for work as well, he works for the Eastside Union High School
District as a paraeducator. Originally born in San Jose and having grown up in Gilroy, Gatihi
started coming to the library two or three years ago and has been coming ever since. He has
become interested in boxing within the last two years and has been training with a friend and
growing a deep respect for it. Recently he found an intriguing book on boxing at the King
Library which increased his adoration for the plethora of books the library stores.
Gatihi is a 26-year-old with an economics degree from the University of California, Riverside,
however, he said he is actually interested in counseling.
I like to be able to help someone if they are in need, Gatihi said.
He feels like its what he is called to do; whether he is asked for money outside of the library or
for directions to a nearby store, whatever it may be, he is always willing to assist.

The library serves as a resource not only to help others, but also to connect Gatihi to his friends
and family. For Gatihi, the library is more than just a place to read and study; he uses it as a
place to hang out and catch up with friends, similar to what one would do at a local coffee
shop. The possibility of absorbing knowledge is just an added bonus.
Chapter 5: Lakshmi & Harsha
On Wednesday at noon the fifth floor of the King Library is filled with groups of students
huddled around their laptops, sipping on coffee cups, studying. Among this group, in the far
corner near the window are friends Lakshmi and Harsha at their own small table avoiding the
noisy crowd.
Having both been born and raised in India, Harsha from Coimbatore and Lakshmi from
Bangalore, they are both 24 years of age and came to San Jose State University to pursue their
masters degree in electrical engineering in hopes of getting jobs in the Bay Area. Lakshmi says
the climate of San Jose reminds her from home.
They use the library mostly for studying, getting together with friends, and of course having the
opportunity to meet new ones along the way. Although Lakshmi uses the library to study she
says she likes that the library is helpful for anything, it provides food, solitude, meeting places
for studying with friends, etcetera.
I love the eighth floor because it is so calm, Harsha said.
Harsha explained that she basically likes all the silent floors. At the library she mostly works on
projects and assignments for her engineering classes, but in her free time she enjoys singing
classical music. Lakshmi, also indulges in artistry by sketching in order to escape boredom.
The women agree one of their favorite things about the library is the late study hours during
exam week. Lakshmi explains that even if people start getting sleepy, seeing others continue to
work hard throughout the night pushes her to keep going as well. Its motivating, Harsh said.
Lakshmi also says the lighting and the furniture of the library provides a very comfortable
atmosphere.
Although originally from two different cities in India, these two women were brought together
through their graduate degree program and their love for the library.