The city's library had humble beginnings, once as simply part of a general store, and then for years the library dwelled in a small facility on De Anza Boulevard in what is now a natural foods store. That library gave way to a new facility that opened in 1971 in a small octagonal building. For the next 33 years this library anchored the city's strong tradition of reading and education. Over the years, Cupertino's library has consistently been the busiest branch in the Santa Clara County Library System—itself nationally recognized as a top library system.

During the booming economic years of the 1990s, with Cupertino riding the prosperous high-tech wave, the city decided to provide its well-educated citizens with a library worthy of their intellectual passions. At that time, the old library had become far removed from a reading paradise, with overcrowded rooms, outdated equipment, dark interiors, no reading rooms, few computer terminals and limited shelf space for its collection. And demand for the library's services was growing.

Although the original library was expanded in 1988, its popularity soon outpaced its increased size. Rather than expand again and seismically retrofit the old building, the city decided it would be more economically feasible to construct a new facility as a part of a new civic center that included a large open plaza and a community hall.

Both Michael Chang, a councilman at that time, and then Councilwoman Sandra James, who is mayor now, felt such a civic center would also help create a gathering place for Cupertino residents. This gathering place was part of a larger goal of developing a downtown identity for Cupertino.

However, the new library and civic center came with costs.

"At the beginning, it was somewhat challenging," says James, who has been involved with the library project since its inception.

She notes one of the first issues was where to place the new library, with some advocating building it on the soccer fields just behind city hall. However, concern over further shrinking Cupertino's already limited amount of open space led to the library being constructed on the same site as the old one.

Controversy also arose over the size of the new library, with the city agreeing to build and furnish a 40,000-square-foot building. Ultimately, community pressure led the city to agree to a 54,000-square-foot facility, with the caveat that separate fundraising efforts would cover the cost of furnishing the library.

In a public/private effort, the Cupertino Library Campaign, spearheaded by Barbara Rogers and Nicole Lea, has since raised approximately $800,000 of the $1.2 million needed to furnish the new building with desks, chairs and shelves. The city has agreed to temporarily fund the remaining amount until the rest of the money is raised.

An even bigger controversy surfaced over what was called the naming policy. The council had adopted a policy to name parts of the facilities in the new civic center after those who donated to the campaign. But when Chang proposed putting a donor's name on a plaque on the new community hall, James objected to the idea of naming buildings after donors. As a result, charges of racism arose because the principal donor was an Asian American. The campaign suffered a setback when the donor withdrew his $250,000.

The racial controversy subsided after the council adopted a formal policy stating buildings can only be named by their geographic location or after retired elected officials or community volunteers who have made extraordinary, nonmonetary contributions to the city or to the general public.

But the campaign continued and the money has slowly been adding up. Recently, a number of local businesses and residents offered up generous donations.

Building a new library had not been a universally popular idea. Former Cupertino Mayor and Councilman Nick Szabo argued against the new library. He believed it would be financially risky and would deplete the city's general fund.

His concerns were somewhat prophetic as the economy dipped in 2000­01.

By then, the city had already agreed to cover the costs of building the $24 million facility, with the county library system continuing to pick up the cost of staffing and operating the library.

"We didn't think the recession would last four years," says the city's budget director, Carol Atwood.

But even under these difficult circumstances, and despite the budget crunch, the civic center complex has been completed on time, in just 39 months, and on budget.

"Despite the downturn in the economy, we have always remained steadfast," says James.

But the county library system, of which Cupertino's library is a part, has not remained so fortunate, and that of course has affected all its libraries. Facing a budget shortfall of $1.1 million this fiscal year, the library system recently cut hours. Cupertino's library is now no longer open on Sundays or Mondays. According to the county's deputy librarian, Sarah Flowers, the budget for books and magazines has also been reduced and additional staff has not been hired.

The lack of additional staff will be offset in part by new technology such as self-checkout machines and by innovative architectural designs that are part of the features that make the library a more user-friendly building.

Patrons will now be able to personally retrieve and check out books on hold. The number of computers has also more than doubled, and the library also has the future capacity for wireless Internet. Library staff will hold training classes for library users, emphasizing the essentials of online research.

"This will help people find their way," says Flowers. "It will teach people how to find the best materials."

Thanks to an enclosed central courtyard, readers will also now have the chance to take books outside.

"We wanted to bring the outside in," says James. "I've always liked being able to read outdoors."

The "outside in" theme is also prevalent with the abundance of natural light in the two-story structure. There are floor-to-ceiling windows, some with views of Mt. Hamilton and the East Bay hills and some with views of a memorial grove of redwoods behind the building. The building, comprising two interlocking L's, was in fact designed by SMSM Architecture Design and Planning in San Francisco to make maximum use of the natural light and to emphasize the environment.

"Wherever you sit," says James, "you can see a green space."

The largest testimonial to the environmental theme is a 16-foot-long marine aquarium in the center of the building. The aquarium, donated by Fred Chan, was built with the guidance of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and will become a learning tool as well as a display item. Computers donated by Apple Computer connect the aquarium to interactive learning projects. As a part of his $325,000 donation, for the marine aquarium, Chan also agreed to share with the city the costs of maintaining the aquarium for the next five years.

"People are going to be surprised," says Cupertino's head librarian, Mary-Ann Wallace, of the new space. She is particularly pleased with the addition of study rooms for groups ranging from children to teens to adults.

"At the old library, [without the study rooms], the number of kids working on team assignments made it hard to study," Wallace says.

"I am excited for people to see it."

Other highlights of the library include a Friends of the Library bookstore that will resell donated books and the Coffee Society cafe. The cafe will open onto the central plaza and allow people to enjoy their books indoors and outdoors with a cup of java. The plaza is also wired for wireless Internet access.

Across the plaza, connected to the library by a covered arcade, will be the new community hall. Rick Kitson, Cupertino's public information officer, describes it as a "sort of multipurpose room."

The community hall will accommodate library programs as well as community events. It will also serve as the new city council chamber.

James says that the library and civic center are "amazingly appropriate, especially since Cupertino is renowned for its educational system and culture. It's very exciting, and the people of Cupertino should have an enormous sense of pride and personal ownership."

Or, as the quotation from writer Jorge Luis Borges says on the front of the new building, "I have always imagined Paradise will be a kind of library."

The community is invited to celebrate the opening of the library at a hosted reception on the evening of Oct. 29. There will also be a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony at noon on Oct. 30. The event will include activities, characters from books, and free tours of the library. For more information, visit http://www-lib.co.santa-clara.ca.us/cupertino/.