Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Mel Chin's Art, San Jose

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library is an architectural and cultural landmark in downtown San Jose. Opened on August 16, 2003, the eight-story building is a collaborative venture between the City of San José and San José State University. It functions simultaneously as the university's main library and the central hub of the San José Public Library system. As of 2018, it remains the largest single-structure library building in the western United States, encompassing over 475,000 square feet and housing approximately 1.6 million volumes.

Honored as Library of the Year in 2004 by Library Journal and Thomson Gale, the Martin Luther King Library remains the largest joint university-municipal library in the U.S., even a decade after its inauguration. With space to accommodate over 2,000 visitors, the library offers diverse zones to meet the needs of researchers, casual readers, students, and the general public.

The library's centerpiece is the Koret Atrium, a bright and open central space where a massive LED display tracks live data on item checkouts across the San José Public Library system-over 240 million as of February 2025.

Enhancing the building’s role as both an academic and civic space is Recolecciones, a series of 34 site-specific art installations by acclaimed artist Mel Chin. These pieces are integrated directly into the library’s structure, blending functionality with creative vision. One standout work, True and Through, features a veneer of a redwood tree that appears to "grow" through the building, stretching from the bottom floor through every level of the atrium.

For visitors and students alike, Mel Chin’s work transforms the library into a place not just for information, but for wonder. Whether stopping to question the significance of redwood or exploring the quiet corners for study, the MLK Library serves as a living, breathing monument to knowledge, collaboration, and imagination.