Santa Clara’s Northside Branch Library—the library that was decades in the works as it awaited political will and financing—celebrated its first decade on Aug. 10. Its 10th birthday celebration drew more than a thousand book lovers to its Rivermark Village location at 695 Moreland Way.
“Over these ten years, our library has grown from a modest space into a vibrant hub of learning and connection,” said Northside Branch Librarian II Rachel Hughes.
“We’ve faced challenges, from COVID closures to meeting the diverse needs of our patrons, but each hurdle has strengthened our commitment to this incredible community,” said Hughes. “The dedication of our staff and the support of our patrons have made this journey truly rewarding.”
The branch’s dedicated and creative staff of ten wrote and illustrated a children’s book to commemorate the branch’s first decade. Titled “Northside’s 10th Birthday,” the picture book is about a library cat who prepares to throw a party at the library. The staff read the story aloud to kids and their families at the actual birthday party. Book copies will be available for checkout in a couple of months.
The birthday celebration included remarks by Mayor Lisa Gillmor, Council Member Kathy Watanabe, and Northside resident and library advocate Mary Ng Dooley. Family-friendly activities included interactive crafts, a photo booth, rocket launches and a book sale.
Northside Branch is the newest of the City’s three libraries. Since it opened on Aug. 9, 2014, it has—according to Oct. 2023 statistics— averaged more than 26,000 customer visits and more than 34,5000 checkouts. It is the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver-certified building that Santa Clara built.
Modern in design, the 15,000-square-foot building houses some 40,000 books, movies and digital collections. It has a 2,000-square-foot community room, four small group study areas and a technology center.
In comparison, the two-story Central Park Library, 2635 Homestead Rd., has about 80,000 square feet of floor space. Mission Branch Library, 1098 Lexington St., has 8,000 square feet.
Northside Branch Library touts its commitment to serving the community with innovative programs such as Junior Detective, which teaches kids problem-solving skills, ESL Conversation Club, and Little Learners, which helps young children with motor skills, pattern and color recognition and sharing. Its diverse collection provides materials in multiple languages.
“We enrich lives and strengthen our community by providing opportunities for lifelong learning, discovery, and creativity. We achieve this through our skilled and friendly staff, our collections, and our physical and virtual spaces,” states City Librarian Patty Wong online, referring to the mission of all three City libraries.
Happy 10th Birthday, Northside Branch Library!
