Martin Luther King, Jr. Library is the largest joint library west of the Mississippi. Students on campus are able to study 24 hours, view art installments and attend events put on by the school and community in the 136-foot-tall building.
The library invites the greater San Jose community during the operating hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., but concerns about safety from students and faculty are still an issue.
Crime logs found on the University Police Department’s website from January 2017 to present day cite many disturbances occurring in the King Library, which note that many of the suspects are unaffiliated with San Jose State.
Kayley Lucatero, a Fresh on Fourth cafe worker, said she feels that disturbances happen too often in a study space and can disrupt students’ academic focus.
“What the campus and the city should be prioritizing is the safety of people and then the campus safety of their students should be their number one, because it also gives a bad rep to the school,” said Lucetaro.
She said she sees UPD coming into the cafe to handle situations like stealing, public intoxication and homeless people sleeping at least three to four times a week.
From 2016 to 2017, the Spartan Daily reported two suicides that occurred in the library, both involving the victims jumping from higher floors. Both victims were neither SJSU students nor faculty.
These two incidents happened within 13 months of each other. Glass barriers were constructed quickly after the second incident on Feb. 1, 2017 and finished by the following fall semester.
“I think that the movement to move quickly [with construction] was to increase the sense of safety and security of everyone in the building, students and our staff,” said library dean, Tracy Elliott.
The library has more than 250 employees. Elliott said UPD Captain Frank Belcastro logs in 40 hours a week heading the library security unit managing community service officers and public security officers.
“It actually technically is the safest building to be in, it doesn’t appear that way unfortunately because the reality is that there are often incidents in which can be distracting for our students and for our public patrons,” said Elliott. “That sometimes make us feel a little uncomfortable.”
She emphasized the measures the library takes to ensure student and community member safety, but construing that is one of the biggest issues.
“We did a survey last spring where we really learned that no matter what we’ve done to improve security, that a large number of our students don’t feel safe,” said Elliott. “It’s an ongoing challenge because you just can’t predict what is going to happen.”
She said the university and the City of San Jose are working hard to maintain a safe environment for patrons and that communicating that effort is their constant mission.
Mouk Xiong, a psychology senior and dancer who regularly practices in front of the library, said he believes having a joint library benefits the campus community and the rest of the city.
“Since this library was built on the university campus, to some extent, students should be a priority, but it’s not just open on this side, but on the other side as well,” said Xiong. “Non-university students should have access to the library as well.”
Though he studies and dances at the library, he has never had an incident with someone causing a disturbance.
“I think library safety is pretty good, whether I’m up there studying usually nothing bothers me. Safety here is pretty good, nothing really wrong with it,” said Xiong.
