Shared Space, Shared Mission: How the King Library Expands Access and Strengthens Community Impact (New Case Study From Ithaka S+R)

New From Ithaka S+R. 

Title

Shared Space, Shared Mission: How the King Library Expands Access and Strengthens Community Impact

Authors

Sage Jasper Love
Elmira Jangjou
Melissa Blankstein

Source

Ithaka S+R

DOI: 10.18665/sr.324646

From the Introduction

Academic and public libraries at times serve overlapping populations, including students, job seekers, adult learners, ESL learners, and low-income individuals, and play vital roles in supporting and enriching their local communities. Among their many services, libraries connect community members to critical information related to their basic needs while providing reference support, digital literacy training, and technology access. They are often viewed as trusted, inclusive spaces that foster learning, exploration, and community connection. While public and academic libraries often operate independently, collaborative partnerships between them have the potential to expand their reach, maximize resources, and enhance community impact.

This report presents the third and final case study in a series examining formal partnerships between academic and public libraries. Each case study illustrates a range of different types of public and academic library partnerships, from small community-based initiatives to large-scale, long-term collaborations. The first case study focused on Chatham Community Library, a joint-use library established in 2010 on the campus of a mid-size community college in North Carolina.^[1] The second examined a newly formed partnership in Illinois between Waubonsee Community College, Aurora Public Library District, and Messenger Public Library of North Aurora, providing digital literacy services to a broader community without sharing the same physical space.^[2] This third case study turns to a longstanding joint-use library in California: the partnership between San José State University (SJSU), a large public research university, and San José Public Library (SJPL).

Collaboration between SJSU and SJPL culminated in the establishment of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library (King Library).^[3] Located in downtown San José, the King Library opened in August 2003 as a shared facility that embodies the principles of the joint-use library model—defined as “two separate library service providers [that] use the same building to serve distinct clienteles.”^[4] This unique partnership unites the resources, staff, and missions of both a large urban university and a major city library system, offering insights into the opportunities and complexities of co-located service delivery. The case study explores how this partnership has evolved over time, including governance structures, service integration, communication practices, and lessons learned for institutions considering or currently managing similar joint-use facilities.

Key takeaways

• Ensure joint operating agreements are clear, consistently applied, and revisited regularly to avoid confusion about roles, responsibilities, and decision-making.
• Build a shared identity through consistent branding, coordinated outreach, and clear messaging that highlights the joint-use nature of the library to reduce confusion and improve engagement.
• Anticipate and proactively develop policies that address challenges from institutional differences, such as different budget cycles, leadership structures, and individual policies, through forward-looking, strategic coordination.
• Leverage shared spaces to support joint programming that meet both academic and community needs, while maintaining clear records of space allocation and streamlined approval processes for space usage to reduce confusion and ensure equitable access.
• Ground communication in personal relationships and informal daily interactions to foster trust and collaboration, while ensuring formal channels are maintained to bridge communication and institutional gaps.
• Prepare for structural changes and evolving community needs by institutionalizing practices such as staff onboarding, clear role definitions, and consistent referral processes to preserve continuity, mission alignment, and shared ownership of the partnership.
• Position the joint-use library as a basic needs referral hub and community anchor to connect patrons, including students, to holistic services with community partners.

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Filed under: Academic Libraries, Libraries, Management and Leadership, News, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries