Mission Branch Library in Santa Clara is beloved for more than its books. The stories shared at its 70th anniversary celebration in City Park Plaza on Nov. 1 were stories of a welcoming community center where lives are changed and dreams take wing.
“Mission Branch is a magical place—a city treasure, a well-used gem!” effused Santa Clara City Librarian Patty Wong like a proud mother. “Small but mighty. We’re delighted that this is a community center—a neighborhood hub.”
“The library changed my life,” said Shanti Bhaskaran, quoting a woman who learned to read there through the library literacy program. It changed Bhaskaran’s life, too. Once a volunteer, Bhaskaran is now literacy program supervisor.
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The celebration opened with remarks from county and local dignitaries, followed by birthday cake.
“This library holds a special place in my heart,” said Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor, recalling that as a five-year-old attending St. Clare School, she would walk across the street to the Mission Branch.
“For seven decades, it has served as a cornerstone of Santa Clara’s community life—a place of learning, belonging, and connection. It’s more than just a building. It’s a symbol of lifelong learning, community connection, and civic pride,” she said.
“Mission Branch has a rich past, but I believe it has a much richer future,” said Bhaskaran.
Nine-year-old Dayo and his mom, Kemi Nelson, are part of that future, coming to Mission Branch at least once a week. Dayo, who wants to write short sci-fi novels, got his own library card last Christmas. He memorized the number, so he can check out books even without his card.
“I have really good memories going to a library as a kid,” said Nelson. “So, I prioritize making Dayo a reader and lover of books.”
Celebration festivities included storytelling, free raffle prizes, live jazz by the Ricky Martinez Trio, a historical photo display, kids’ crafts, information tables, and free books from Friends of the Library.
Four-year-old Artemis and her dad, Daniel Tinker, were sitting on a commemorative rock reading their free book, “ABCs at the Beach.”
“I come here all the time to have a quiet place to read,” said Tinker, who lives within walking distance. “This library is a local hidden treasure.”
Mission Branch, 1098 Lexington St., is in City Park Plaza in the Old Quad section of Santa Clara. It is surrounded by homes and is just a couple blocks from Santa Clara University. SCU students come to study—and to volunteer.
“Mission Branch has been part of our family since we moved here,” said Becca Fung, sharing that her husband proposed to her in the gazebo of the plaza.
The library building is a mid-century modern design with early California architecture touches. It is the first and smallest of Santa Clara’s three stand-alone libraries, opening on Oct. 30, 1955.
Mission Branch was renovated twice—in 1999-2000 and 2017-2018, expanding to 9,120 sq. ft. The present Central Park Main Library opened in 2004 and the Northside Branch opened in 2014.
Mission Branch is the only one that opens at 9 a.m.
“Because patrons asked for it,” said Wong.
Mission Branch patron Lalit Kumar was among the last storytellers in the library community room at the end of the celebration. He shared his poem “Adventures in Reading—Santa Clara City Library” from his book “Yosemite of My Heart—Poems of Adventure in California.”
“…my soul set free, my imagination on fire/Reading in Santa Clara City library,/ I have grown wings,/ to soar, glide and fly-higher,” he read.
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