Santa Clara City Library
public library in Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara City Library is a public library in Santa Clara, California. There are currently three locations: the Mission Branch Library; the Northside Branch Library, which opened on August 9, 2014; and the (main) Central Park Library.
History
The library was originally located in two upstairs rooms in the Franck Building at 1047 Franklin Street, Santa Clara. It was established as a public library in fall 1903 by the Board of Town Trustees. It was later moved to the 2nd floor of the City Hall at Franklin and Washington Streets.
The Mission Branch Library building was completed in October 1955. The library is located at City Plaza Park, at the corner of Lexington and Main Streets. In 1999, the Mission Branch Library was closed for renovation and re-opened on November 16, 2000. It was remodeled again from December 2017 to September 2018.
On April 4, 1967, the new 36,000 square foot Central Park Library was opened to the public.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Santa Clara City Library” as public library in Santa Clara, California. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as public library in Santa Clara, California. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 7, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q17030558. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2014, 1047, 1903 and 1955.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Santa Clara City Library”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Santa Clara City Library primary sources, Santa Clara City Library archive and Santa research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Santa Clara City Library”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Santa Clara City Library” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.