December 3, 2004

December is last month to visit old Evergreen Library

By Tim Collins
Special to the Times

Happy Holidays to all. With the holidays, particularly New Year’s, we remember the past and look forward to the future: an appropriate theme for this edition’s column. That’s because this month, December, is your last month to visit the old Evergreen Library.

Adios, you’ve served us well
Evergreen Library’s last day of business will be Wednesday, Dec. 22. Following that day, staff will start packing up and preparing for the move to the new Tully Community Library (on Tully Road at Kenoga Drive, about a mile west of Highway 101). We open there Jan. 22.

Hold Requests
By the time this edition of the Evergreen Times is distributed, you will no longer be able to place holds on library materials using Evergreen Branch Library as the pickup location. Existing hold requests will be honored, of course, up to the point when we close our doors.

If you have not received your hold by or about Dec. 15, please contact us at the library (408) 238-4434, and we can change the pickup location to any of the other 16 San Jose Public Library locations of your choice.

We do need to know your choice of pickup location; hold requests with “Evergreen” as the pickup location will be deleted following Dec. 22. Don’t let it happen to you! You have been waiting a long time for that bestseller!

The nearest branches are Hillview Branch Library to the north, 2255 Ocala Ave. between King Road and Capitol Expressway, and Seventrees Branch Library to the southwest at 3597 Cas Dr., near the intersection of Capitol Expressway and Seven Trees Boulevard, across from Solari Park.

Memory Album
We have some photo albums of Evergreen Branch Library, plus an autograph memory book on display by our new books. Come in, write down your thoughts, fond memories or just sign your name and say goodbye as this building closes. From time to time an adult or young adult regales us with memories of how they came here for story time “when they were a kid.” Please put a few of your memories in print.

A bit of history
The old Evergreen Library building was constructed in 1975. Herbert Cuevas, A.I.A., was the architect and California Urban Builders the contractor. Longtime San Jose Public Library staff members remember passing the vineyards and the cows on Silver Creek, on the way to work here at the library, way, way out on the far southeast edge of town.

What was true in 1976, when the library opened, and is true today in 2004, is that Evergreen customers are avid library users. We look forward to the day in 2006 when the new Evergreen library opens! In the meantime, come to the Tully Community Branch Library!

Celebration Dates
On Saturday, Dec. 18, we will be having a “closing party” here at the old library, starting at 3 p.m. Bring your good wishes and your memories.

The groundbreaking celebration for the new Evergreen Branch Library is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 15 at 11 a.m., 2635 Aborn Rd.

The Grand Opening Celebration for the Tully Community Branch Library is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 22 at 11 a.m., 870 Tully Rd.

Other December events
- Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 6:45 p.m. – Puppet Show, “The Night Before Christ-Mouse”
Come enjoy the Christmas magic with this spin on Clement Moore’s famous poem.

- Friday, Dec. 10 at 4 p.m. – Ornament Making and Tree Decorating—Let your artistic nature come out. Children, deck the halls and the trees with an ornament of your own design.

- Wednesday, Dec. 22 from 1-3 p.m. – TeensReach meeting; come and contribute to the time capsule, to be opened when the new Evergreen Library opens.

Contact us
From time to time, a library customer wants to let us know about a book he or she recommends we get or has other concerns about the library. When we’re open, we always welcome your comments. And guess what? San Jose Public Library’s e-Branch is always open.

Go to our Web site, www.sjlibrary.org. At the bottom of the page, on the left, are the words “Contact us” Click on this to contact the library of your choice, or give your input and suggestions about material to buy directly to our selectors. Using the “Ask a Librarian” link, you can connect with a reference librarian.

Service is our job, our reason for being. The “Contact Us” link on our Web site provides one more way that you, our customers, can connect with us.

Merry Christmas
Currently, we have a display of Christmas crafts books over on the adult side of the library, written by authors like Martha Stewart and Tasha Tudor. Don’t be shy, books on display are meant to be checked out.

We’ll find more to display! At this moment in time, we still have a fair selection of Christmas-related CDs and picture books. But don’t delay; as the big day gets closer, more and more such items will already be checked out!

Personal note of thanks
Evergreen customers, thank you for letting me have the opportunity to serve you! Occasionally, you really challenge me! But you challenge us, the library staff, in a good way.

For me personally, this is a second career; I get much more satisfaction from directly helping you, the public, day-in and day-out, then I did in my prior position which was somewhat less customer-oriented.

I know it will seem like a long time waiting for the new Evergreen Library. This is an avid library-using community. But it will be a much bigger and better building. The wait will be worth it! In the meantime, see you at the Tully Community Branch Library.

Tim Collins is the Adult Services Librarian at the Evergreen Branch Library, 2635 Aborn Rd., between White Road and Capitol Expressway. Evergreen Library is one of the 17 branches of the San Jose Public Library System. The library’s phone number is (408) 238-4434. Visit San Jose Public Library’s Web site at http://www.sjlibrary.org.