Lily Chu and David Chu

00:02 My name is David ages 40 today's date is April 14th night 2016 location is San Mateo.

00:14 My name is Lily Chu I'm 41 years old. Today's date is March or actually, it's April 14th 2016. We are here today in the San Mateo Public Library in California. And David is my brother.

00:32 So you start off sure. I'll start off so David, why don't we talk a little bit first about how we were introduced to the public library system directions to the library system West vs Bills. They would, least I think once a week to the library, so that was the first one but we also had field trips.

00:54 Stoop do what I remember is you and I were both at the stake are in Seattle. It was called the Denise Louie daycare center and it was part of the Head Start program. I don't remember how often the library Mobile came but it did come and they would have just children's books in it as you said and we would check out some books and then it would come back later. We would get to return the books and I check out a bunch of new ones. I don't really remember the field trip stuff cuz I was younger than you were I was like probably only 4 years old remember any of the field trips. We took one at least one field trip to the main library for the book. We were specifically for children because they took out all the usual stabbings put insurance stuff.

01:41 So it's not the you cuz I've been to the other other book Library as I got older difficult anymore like a mini Library.

01:54 One of our earliest memories was we live David and I were we're thrilled with the bookmobile.

02:02 You and I were thrilled with the book movie all to the extent that we decided one day without her mother's permission to go to the library ourselves. And at the time we lived in downtown Seattle is the old Seattle main library this 1960s building and I don't I don't remember it must have been your idea because you're older than I am and you're sort of leading me around you remember that you were what happened? It was very short Rock. We used to live only about what five six blocks away so so I can take me to walk to it was a straight shot. I certainly did not know enough to know directions at the time. What I do remember was we had to walk over some pretty busy downtown intersection and even over the I-5 freeway to get to the library underpass not too old for math.

02:52 Is it the underpass we live two blocks away from the past? And then I remember we went to the children's section that we always went to is a fourth floor. So is the back door. That was the first thing you could you come through when you enter through the back door, so it showed a second. That's right the back door at the time had had the fountain right? It was some sort of a late 70s fountain with all this colorful tile on it and it looks like a space alien to me and we went in and you would see the statue of I think it was Alice in Wonderland card from it at the time and then there would be the fourth floor library. And do you remember what happened after that? When I visit at the library? I was always playing Carmen Sandiego.

03:44 And what was Carmen Sandiego and it's what you do in order to capture the other reaches her and levelled she had to catch her underling and is always start with some crime and you to figure out the way they stole where they store it and where they headed to because you captured an underling you get more tips about where she is.

04:07 That's pretty typical you remember the video games. I don't remember the video games. I remember the books and I remember checking out the these pack back. Then you everything was on cassette and they had these bags of books with current favorite of ours back. Then was Curious George and really and then they would have the book and the cassette tape, but that was an interesting trip because after the trip, we went back to our apartment by ourselves again, and what happened do you think Mom freaked out our mom freaked out because she had no idea where we were going and then she was just glad that we were back is that given a few more probably before I got only for like a few hours but I think 3 hours. Yeah, but I think she would have she would have been out she's looking for us and she would have called the police by that time.

05:08 But she was a little bit surprised that you and I were able to cross so many blocks of downtown traffic at 4 or 5 years of age to get to the library.

05:18 Yep.

05:20 But after that are we moved to Beacon help you remember Beacon Hill right in Seattle and we lived back then it seemed like a long distance. When I look at it was only about four blocks know the local branch library local rifles. It was a walk.

05:40 When was five more than that? Because it's we live one end of this Beacon Hill Street and delivers on the other end. So probably more than 10 minutes, but that's a good walk right up and down Pecan Hill Avenue. And what do you remember about? The Beacon Hill Library is a one-story brick building as I remember and it looked like a storefront and Factory probably was an old store but it was it wasn't that big inside. They're mostly dominated Again by children's books. That's what I remember. What do you remember things because of the neighborhood back then that was all so technically that's where most of the most of the audience were and it had tile floors. That's what I remember shiny tile floors and these wooden tables scattered all around.

06:40 What were your favorite books growing up?

06:44 Sea Isle of detective books The Hardy Boys they were great because I was playing Carmen Sandiego a lot. Got to know my history got to know my jog for he's still always looking at those books with maps which which books is books with maps of the globe. Oh, yes like the World Book Encyclopedia Britannica that mention clues in Carmen Sandiego and you are also a huge fan of Tintin 900 cuz I got that love attention from you and then was what was the other French 1 Hermits or astrix? You are such a huge history and political.

07:44 Listening to you talk about Johnny Unitas and Jim Thorpe and you are a big football fan right Back at Ya is your favorite books?

07:57 Well, it's hard to say I remember specifically things like Frances the badger type of books from when I was very young Curious George Barbie the elephant Tintin just like you I think I also remember Amelia Bedelia and then when I got a little older I read the Sweet Valley High School which which were pretty superficial books about these teenage twin girls who grow up in a rich neighborhood and they were very different from each other. But I also read a lot of nonfiction. I mean I've read I started reading fashion magazines from very young age and also does any type of cookbooks just reading it for fun? Not necessarily because I was actually going to cook any recipes from it.

08:46 You think I liked was I also like travel. So I remember I would read these Disney books about different countries and the countries. I remember in particular was I right about Lapland and I read about Sardinia the places I had never heard of and I still haven't visited them at all. But it was it's the sticks in my mind from that time. Yeah, but we didn't really National Geographic we didn't get from the library. We had the children's version world and now it's because her mom bought it going up as we came from another country we came with Chinese, but we were came here from Vietnam as kids. And do you remember what you told us about libraries in that end in Vietnam?

09:35 Yeah, it was a privilege think you couldn't have something nice. It was not something you have to be a member of or certain member of a certain class is pretty like a private club you had to pay a right tube to go in and and check out books. And in fact you remember what she told us about her cousin or older cousin, he would collect used comic books and other books and he would establish his own private library and he made a bit of quite a bit of pocket change from charging people for renting out his books. What's the what's the what's that Chinese comic?

10:15 I don't know what the name of the street. It's a big it was a very popular comic book in in Hong Kong translation is but that's how because black people don't get don't get that so that he had a sizable cuz you cuz I remember reading those but since you were free rather than charging you to use it on the hog and discuss where we were lucky because after being introduced to library as as kids are our mother found out about it, and then she really try to make sure that every house we moved into later on was within walking distance of the library where we could get to it ourselves without her because she was very busy having to drive us or take us there.

11:09 And after living in Beacon Hill, we moved to another section of Beacon Hill, which is Orcas on 21st around 21st Avenue.

11:21 And then the library we use there was the Columbia City Library.

11:25 I think that's probably the yeah, maybe to come out of my number by just numbers nearby. It was down the hill but we were also again on another Main Street. So it was easy to hop on a bus to get the library as well as the downtown ordering it or any branches on on the main drag lucky to have multiple libraries around us and then heading into a high school similarly by that time we had moved across the lake to Bellevue Washington and we were we still had our Seattle public library cards and by that time we also had King County library system. And that was the old Lake Hill Library. Do you remember how it looks like makes the trail concrete looking 1970s buildings with like older carpet, but it had a great collection of books and magazines in it.

12:25 You're right. It was a farmer bank because it had that u-shaped driveway around it. And then it had these odd Windows like the drive-thru Windows. Yes. That's how we get there. Sometimes via the trailer out. Yes. Yes. So that was our that was your experience in my experience with the public libraries and then we went on to University. And do you remember the university libraries? We went to the University of Washington in Seattle playing the thigh brace to Mainland and Subs. I have work at least nine of them which which of the nine did you work on but I work in the two main ones. She was old and older guard but I spent most of my time at the pie SCI Library, which is also my major so is a great place to hang out and study South Hadley special at night.

13:23 I used to hang out to Health Sciences Library. Well, I went to Health Sciences later in in college initially. I hung out at the at the graduate Library, which was suzzallo and suzzallo was built in a Gothic style. So when you went up to the reading room it look like a medieval Church. The ceilings were probably about a hundred fifty feet high and there was stained glass everywhere and it had it was I think more people spent time looking up at the ceiling at suzzallo then actually studying because it was such a stunning room. Well by the time I start working there the 5th floor was also the place of inappropriate activities you would have to there was a part of your job where at at the end of the evening if you would have to go and sweep the library or make sure people weren't around but we were also going to college at a time of transformation when we're going from physical card catalog.

14:23 2-digit remember that Susan with Aunt was going to change because one of the highlights of Suzy Suzy go before the electronic age was a huge car Kellogg in the middle of the wing and the entire area became this student lab when it when they took out finally took it all out something. I don't remember the card catalog being there though. I'm sure it was because I remember when suzzallo switch to an electronic system because when I started working the system, we will talk to you I said stop with the catalog system. So I just want about orientation. We visit that they're the main in Suzhou volume is huge before when electronic

15:12 And and you were there when they started using electronic system or was it was based on what I started learn so see you lot of times, especially when I go to small libraries and Library will have problems with assist system have no idea what's going on. I was like turn around. Let me see what's going on in figure this one and it quite surprised but that was suzzallo and it's it's still there. It's one of the the best looking buildings on campus and going back to what you were saying the next library that I hung out at the most whiskey Health Sciences Library, which is again another one of these beat Behemoth, you know, 1960s concrete buildings when it rain it look extra miserable because you would see the water trickling down the sides of the building and it would just look miserable the building itself, but a Health Sciences would have

16:12 Volumes of medical textbooks in biology journals and medical journals poldark. Yes, it was on the bottom floor. There are sections of Health Sciences. I did not have windows so you could be there late at night or early in the morning would make no difference because you couldn't couldn't couldn't see your Heroes going on outside. Yes. Yes, and then after University we split up and we went to different parts of the country. So can you talk about some of the libraries that you visited or or patronized on on the East Coast whenever I move somewhere new first thing I do is change my dress kid new voting card followed by a new library card always in that order. So no matter where I go always have a library card, but also it's a great way. You don't library has all those Community boards.

17:12 Is also great way to figure out what's going on at Union get to know the area. So what was your favorite library on East Austin old research wing and the New York Public Library both of their old research when which is all these classical design building that when you think of a fly burrow how Libor should be there the New York has those two lions which brother game and model is Arthur library after the same two lions patience and fortitude. Yes, and I remember years ago visiting you in Boston and you took me to the Boston Public Library research wing and they had these wonderful 19th century iron lamps outside. And so I have a souvenir cup with one of those a picture of those lamps on it. But the Boston Public Library had some very beautiful Parts. There was a courtyard Courtyard with a

18:12 Garden and the plants and it was it was very nice. And then there was that special room where they had all these documents that were hundreds of years old for US history, but you would have to get special permission from the librarian to see them. However is what I did not like about the Boston Public Library. It was rather jarring going from this elegant 19th century building to the modern Wing witch quiz again, this big concrete block remember that and then I would remember in entering via the elegant nineteenth-century entrance and then leaving via the 1960s 70s concrete exit. I remember that travel or live somewhere. I visit the library try to get a souvenir cup from them. Just like leaving the river the Cleveland cup you gave me a Cleveland cop and we also have a course New York City Public Library

19:12 And now a Seattle Public Library

19:17 It's a it's a good way to collect mementos. The only problem is not all libraries have the library stores where you can buy that yeah, so you spend some time and he's close to Willow Street Favorite East Coast Library Versailles, Boston Boston. I spent time in Upstate New York, and they also had their share of academic and public libraries and like you I also every city. I stayed at I would get the city public library card.

19:48 That the thing about the buildings do in Upstate New York. I was I was not impressed by the architecture of the library's but it was I always made time to go to them anyway to check out books. What's astounding to me is is how I'm surprised more people don't take advantage with the library's it's like an all-you-can-eat book fast or dvd fast or you know CD Fest for that matter and I I'm always surprised when people especially adults without kids say they they haven't visited the library and in a year or longer than that, even you know, except for except our future stations most I bring this is states only require you to be a state resident so you can have a card everywhere and now they squeak electronic books. You can literally get a library card and be shopping for books in La. Yeah. We know we know about your habits, dude. How many Lyra cards do you have at the moment?

20:43 Message more than 10 fingers 10 10 different libraries. And so if I'm a spill the milk Eric Davis a type of person who will Reserve books at different libraries when they're very hot and then he will go to the library that comes up with the fuck first. Yes your evil plan, but I spend more time on the west coast you did. So I I know about the LA Public Library System. I remember going to the the Santa Monica library nearby and what was cool about the Santa Monica library was they would have these DVDs from the motion picture Academy and they would be these DVDs they sent out every year to the members to and the members would decide who would who would win best actor they would vote for who win the best movie so that Library always had the latest movies right after they came out and of course there was the LA Public Library, which is a

21:43 A beautiful building in Downtown LA

21:47 Well one lab rat I have visited that you haven't had a chance to his Library Congress been there many times both has a Taurus and has a when I was given the area has a razor but I also have been there as a researcher. So I've been able to access some areas that the most you don't get to get go to so what are some what were you looking for it when you were at the Library of Congress or which areas did you go to this is a time when I was doing internship in college. So I was doing a paper round election and politics. So I was able to look up some old old election materials archival stuff. Was there anything that was surprising to you that you didn't know about before Yahoo! New library Congress. Yes. Yeah you remember that time. We went to the library Miami speaking of East Coast libraries.

22:42 It was a hot muggy day. And I decided that yes the downtown branch the one where I decided I was going to sit down and put my head down on the table and take a few minutes nap. And what happened?

22:54 You're now Infamous in Miami for sleeping in their Library System, cuz they're guards came charging up to you. That's right. I have never heard of a system where people were prohibited from sleeping in the library. Specifically. I know there are concerns about homeless people, but I certainly did not look like what you typically think of a someone homeless and he came over and said to us that I couldn't sleep in the library. And so yeah, that was a little bit surprising. Did you hear about that you hear is talk about the penalty. What was the penalty? I don't remember the penalty bad for library for life at register. Yeah, that would be interesting. Yes. So today you and I we've lived in the San Mateo area together now for how long

23:40 I'll be right back here for years now for years. And so our main libraries that we use today are the Burlingame public library. And also the one where in today the San Mateo City Library since both were only about 10 minutes or less drive for both of us. And what was your first impression of the library here when you first came to visit and it but it's opened in it and sent that it is very inviting. You know, it's not like an empty shell I can do it when Library where they modernized it by having more open space by looks like an empty shell of a ukulele walking and yell hello and have a cold back and forth.

24:24 I think what I like about this library is it has a lot of light and glass and so when you walk in there's a lot of natural light and it's not just fluorescent or artificial light and I also like that it's it's it was built specifically to environmental specifications. So if I remember right, this is one of those gold LED certified Library, that's pretty cool libraries in Hawaii. Yes. Yes the library Maui I'll plan on the beach shore other place. We make it specific track to the library, but that was a very interesting library because right across from it was the beach and the ocean it would it had it was on Prime real estate, where a fast shower facility for the Surfers. I didn't notice that I can always count on you to notice the unusual things out there.

25:24 Santa a lot of people were there with flip flops and bare feet

25:31 Coming back to the library. Now. What what do you like about this specific Library?

25:36 OIP I was used to live right here for I like the balcony that's great place to hang out and in this place 737 coffee shop so you can have a copy and be out on the balcony. That's right. You could have your drink and your dessert and and read your favorite book at the same time without having to buy it.

25:56 Yeah.

25:58 One of the other things you and I had mentioned were some of the events we've attended here as well.

26:03 Humor. What's on those events were for the last time we were in here was Hamlet. Yes. It was a Shakespeare 1-hour condensed version of Hamlet and then a few weeks ago. We went to a tree out here musical Trio is a cello and violin and a piano from Montreal I believe and they were playing some interesting pieces that were either arranged for those three instruments or adapted for them.

26:30 Yes, we can fly be retracted you ever and back in school how to use to try to track it to Tuesday School library system.

26:39 It was it was the school know there was a tree Boulder used to have a weekly weekly question is where they awarded ask you'd like to this day. I'm still haunted by one the questions. I miss Lake Planet ride. Remember that question. There was a there is a contest in the middle school that we went to and every week there would be three chances to answer these Geographic type of questions for reference yet. And that would be one way of enticing people to go to the library and use of resources. And then we also talked about how what we would do during the Summers is there with the use of the summer reading program for the public library system. They give you a sticker for each book you complete the Enterprise at the end and it's interesting because we only got stickers and stuff like that. But at the Burlingame Public Library, they give away fancy prizes some Summers I've noticed for the kids. So it's it's it's it's different.

27:37 But overall I think you and I we we we we continued our our love for libraries over many decades because there they've been such a great resource for especially growing up with not a lot of money to buy books and just for the community in general for all the activities and things that are Library access to computers that are available.

28:02 Libraries in a few places you can actually walk into about any membership or you don't have to be a member or United pay any do so. It's a great place to be and sell a surprise me with some take advantage of it. Yes. Yes a lot of times especially for example newspapers. I don't have to scratch it too many newspaper Isaac come here and just read every one of them.

28:27 And I think there's a lot of online resources of right now. I'm trying to learn French and Spanish through the library system because they have some online language programs that I've been using.

28:41 And I still use the library everyday not necessarily the this one here, but the medical Library over at Stanford University to look up information on any new updates or advances in my field.

28:56 But we still come to the library's probably every 1 or 2 weeks 2 weeks to various libraries to see what they have.

29:07 Yes, we have an unofficial map to talk to you this of the area Library. Don't remember what we just basically each time. We hit the library we act we cross it off as like a rating. Yes. Yes, and you and I had this idea once if we are implemented where we're going to create a blog and blog on every Library we ever visit and describe what the pros and cons of every library is and then the other possibility was we were going to create a tour tour of libraries around the world for bookworms. Yes. I like I historical right we we talked about how will there somewhere has no longer exist like the Alexandria library Egypt, but we could still have a trip to Alexandria.

29:55 Yeah.

29:56 And some of these other libraries that are famous like a the Libras affiliated with Oxford and Cambridge in England and buy some more historical ones around the country around the world actually.

30:11 And then of course there is there is places in the US that sell in the libraries have to have have closed down because of budget cuts. So there's some libraries that no longer exist as well or been merged into one. I have not heard about I've heard about that in general, but are there libraries that we grew up with them closed or the ones that you've heard about specifically remember? I know a lot more Temper Temper shut down for a while. I'll really I didn't know that so there are four were shut down for like 2 or 3 days and then they were either had expanded our to pick up a difference or they were shut down or do we have to shut down and shortened hours?

31:00 And what three years ago Oakland library system literally no weekend service.

31:05 Oh, that's right. And even this Library had had shown hours. There was a time for a few months. Maybe it was last year where they had a sign saying it at the library is closed on Sundays head to the Burlingame public library because it was open. So you and I are lucky to live in a neighborhood that at one point was one of the higher spending per capita for all Library systems in the state but not everyone is so lucky to live in an affluent neighborhood with people who are willing to donate money to the library's. Yeah. So, this is National Library week. The theme is libraries transform. So what does that mean to you?

31:46 Libraries transform

31:48 Well, I think as I mentioned earlier.

31:52 It makes such a huge difference for everyone but I think especially for kids and for adults who are disadvantaged in some way the library provides a lot of resources for free and you don't need to pay money to to get a card. I don't think people appreciate libraries in in America perhaps as much as in other countries because they don't realize that not every country has libraries public libraries that anyone can just enter and use as we talked about earlier with our parents.

32:29 In fact America didn't always have that wasn't it like that? Cardi Franklin Ben Franklin started Library Cindy money and Allen that starts that's why I remember all those places. We visit in Upstate New York or is a small places. I don't have no practices and there's a card in Carnegie Library.

32:53 Y'all actually have the same design so you can actually identify them as that really I didn't know that dissimilar architectural design. Yes. So I think libraries really transformed by showing you things that you otherwise would never be in contact with even if you never have the chance to go to another country. You can learn a lot about the world and about other types of people just from being in the library how it yourself David how libraries transform Butte. Well, it's your right it takes you outside of a four-year-old has grown up. Will you say we only knew that our neck of the woods by beating House of geography books of History? I was able to travel see the world that way on the cheap and this is the days before internet. So it was not as you can easily look things up. So you have to find a way to look things up. So Libras and libras also great place for hanging out. Remember I used to live in Yonkers. We had Liberia Crossman.

33:53 Lily days, it was a great place to hang out you can hang out all day.

33:58 Make a cup of coffee in the third-floor sitnik sit on those nights one sofa. Look out the water you watch triangle and by both going by.

34:11 Well, it was fun to reminisce about our family and our connection with the library over our lives today David. And so I thank you for taking the time to talk to me today. And I thank you for being my best friend. Oh, I like to say thank you for spending time talking to me to I enjoy our time with libraries. We had some of the best memories going to library together or actually should I say trading Library says we occasionally take out books and never come back. I wonder how many we still have two left that speak for yourself. I always return my books anywhere. So thanks again for your time.