After years of delays and planning, Campbell is about to complete construction on its new library — and one nonprofit is counting on locals to step up and fill in the gaps.
Friends of the Campbell Library aims to raise $250,000 for essentials not covered in Measure O, a $50-million bond measure voters passed in 2018. The roughly $20.5 million in bond funds earmarked for the library covers the demolition and rebuild, but not services or furnishings. Funds are needed for special programs in the community and children’s room, along with accessible seating for older adults and people with limited mobility. The fundraiser is planned to end in May and the library is slated to open in late summer or early fall.
The interior amenities and programming will be partially paid for by the Santa Clara County Library District, which has shelled out about $510,000, and the Friends of the Campbell Library.
Susan Gore, president of Friends of the Campbell Library since 2015, said the nonprofit wants to ensure the city’s only library reaches its fullest potential. About 622 donors have raised more than $33,800 since the project’s 2023 groundbreaking, according to the nonprofit’s website.
“We’ve fought long and hard to get a new library,” she told San José Spotlight. “We want to make it as good as we can for the people of Campbell and the surrounding areas.”
Gore said the money raised is significant because it could give a boost to services for disadvantaged residents, such as when the library transforms into a heating or cooling center during inclement weather.
The library opened at its current location in the 1970s. Over time it became outdated with its tiny elevator and dark basement. It was the oldest branch in the county system without significant renovations. The county system includes Cupertino, Gilroy, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Saratoga and two Los Altos libraries. Campbell moved all its library services to the Community Center during construction.
Campbell resident Cheryl Houts donated to the fundraiser as a former community librarian who spent the last five years of her career there after transferring branches in 2008. She said the city promised staff a new building then, but the project was paused because of the Great Recession. It took roughly five years for the city to begin construction after Measure O passed due to delays and COVID.
Houts said she doesn’t know how services would be limited if the funding isn’t met.
“There are people who in today’s world think we don’t need libraries anymore. And yet, what we find is that still today, the library is a community hub that encourages anyone to come in,” she told San José Spotlight. “It’s an equalizer in our democracy, an equalizer in providing resources that otherwise people might not be able to afford.”
Measure O is also funding the city’s new police headquarters, which found alternate funding for amenities inside the building.
City Manager Brian Loventhal said the library will offer essential resources to residents.
“I’m looking forward to it being state of the art, the jewel of the county library system and hopefully a showcase for all of the county, not just the city,” he told San José Spotlight.
Friends of the Campbell Library is hosting a used book sale on March 1 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., as well as a vintage jewelry sale on March 5 from 5-8 p.m. Both events will be hosted at the Campbell Community Center. Some of the proceeds will benefit the new library.
Houts said getting residents involved in creating an exceptional place is a win for everyone.
“We want to encourage the community to really have a stake in the library,” she said.
Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X.
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