Garrett Kuramoto was born and raised in Sunnyvale. This Santa Clara resident roots for the San Jose Sharks and the Oakland A’s. He plays recreational hockey and holds a black belt in Taekwondo. He serves on the advisory board for The Music School of Sunnyvale. Those who know Kuramoto remember he guest starred on Jeopardy back in 2020.
As of late September, Kuramoto started a new gig as the Superintendent of Libraries for the City of Sunnyvale.
“I oversee the operations of the Sunnyvale Public Library,” Kuramoto said. “I supervise all of the various departments like adult services, children and teen services, circulation and technical services.”
According to Kuramoto, right now, he is working with the City to build a second library in the Lakewood area in north Sunnyvale.
“The geography of Sunnyvale and the location of the Main Library has meant that residents of north Sunnyvale often live far away and have difficulty accessing the Main Library,” Kuramoto said. “That’s a primary reason why we decided to build a branch library in north Sunnyvale. We are expected to begin construction in 2024 with the completion of the construction in 2025. Right now, I’m working with the City’s Department of Public Works to prepare for construction bids.
“In addition to overseeing the various day-to-day operations of the library, I’m also engaged in a lot of strategic planning for the future and budgeting,” Kuramoto continued. “We are always looking to improve and grow our services. So, I play a role in helping to develop our plans. Another major project is that we’re also planning for the construction of a new Main Library. It would be in the City of Sunnyvale’s Civic Center in the proximity of where the current library is.”
In the New Year, Kuramoto looks forward to the opening of an early learning hub in the current Main Library.
“This will be a room in our children’s room that’s full of interactive play toys and tools that young kids 0 to 5 years old can interact with,” Kuramoto said. “All the toys and activities, such as a play kitchen and an interactive light display, are there to promote early learning and literacy.”
When Kuramoto isn’t busy with work or his many extracurricular activities, he is also a reader.
“On the fiction side, I really enjoy nautical stories,” he said. “I’ve been reading the ‘Master and Commander’ series by Patrick O’Brian. They are novels about the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars. This year, I read a non-fiction book called ‘Wellbeing at Work’ by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter. This book is about building resilient workplaces, especially in the wake of the pandemic.”
When asked why he chose the library services profession, Kuramoto replied, “I’ve always been passionate about helping people and serving others. Being a librarian is all about helping people find the right kinds of books, tools and job skills. Being a librarian is about helping people enjoy and improve their lives and I get to do that every day.”