Every Tuesday at 4:00pm and Saturday at 2:00pm there are ESL Conversation Club sessions at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. The sessions are held in a small group discussion format where customers make new friends and enjoy discussing popular topics. The club meets in room 390 which is located on 3^rd floor.   In these ESL Conversation sessions, customers enjoy learning and practicing English language in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. Attendees can learn and interact with other participants. In the library, also there are the ESL books combined with media for checkout at all SJPL branches. Also, library customers can use the library ESL electronic resources with a valid library card. All levels are welcome.

Library customers have many easy options to keep in touch with the San Jose Public Library.  The following are different contact resources to meet the customer needs where library users can Call, Email, Visit, Chat, Suggest Purchase, and contact SJPL Departement & Branches.

• Call Us:
  • Research & Reference Questions - (408) 808-2100
  • Account Questions - (408) 808-2000
• Email Us
• Visit Us
• Chat with librarians
• Chat with a Tutor
• Tell Us what We Should Buy
• Department & Branch Directory

San Jose Public Library provides a variety of ESL resources to customers including the print collection, electronic resources, and programming events. The ESL collection at SJPL consists of print books combined with media such as CDs or DVDs, where users would enjoy learning English as a Second Language by reading and listening to words, phrases, grammar and practicing the language in a conversational approach.  Moreover, customers with a valid SJPL library card can download or have access to the ESL electronic resources that are in the eBook formats and databases.  ESL Conversation Club (ESL CC) is one of the  most popular ESL programming activity at SJPL where users can come and join the ESL Conversation Club sessions and start practicing English in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. By joining ESL CC at SJPL users will interact with others and make new friends and all levels are welcome.

Chicago is America’s favorite city and is also known as The Second City. The Windy City is a dynamic city, its location on the beautiful front of the Great Lake of Michigan and its historical significance, make the city a hub for travelers in the land of Lincoln. Travelers to Chicago can enjoy the history, art, attractions, shopping, business, and the city neighborhoods.  Checkout Travel Books at San Jose Public Library to plan, prepare, and guide you in your next trip to the Windy City. 

Here are some other great places to enjoy:

Downtown Chicago,  Willis Tower AKA Sears Tower,   Navy Pier, Grant Park, Field Museum of Chicago, Museum of Science and Industry, Millennium Park, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Magnificent Mile, Wrigley Field , DePaul University, Lincoln Park Zoo   

Analysis on current news including international, national, and economics are some common topics you can find in the SJPL’s popular magazines.  Magazines also cover other popular subjects such as, business, travel, entertainment, and sports. If you enjoy browsing or reading popular magazines, San Jose Public Library is your destination.  A large collection of magazines are located in the Periodicals Collection at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library and at all other SJPL branches. Some of the popular titles are:

Time , Newsweek , People Weekly , Sports Illustrated,  Economist,  New Yorker

With a valid SJPL card, users are able to access magazines electronically too

A Microform is a reproduction of the original documents that has small images or microreprodcution in the formats of microfilm or microfiche. Both microfilm and microfiche can be viewed on microform machines where users can browse, print, and digitize information. Old newspapers, documents, rare books, maps, or magazines are some of the common type of materials in microform. The collections of old San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle, or San Jose Mercury News Clipping File are some of the most popular microform collections at San Jose Public Library.