by Ronak Chadha ‘25
Did you know that the Bellarmine Library has partnered with the San Jose Public Library? Bells can now use their student ID cards to access materials and services at all branches of the San Jose Public Library system. To learn more about this partnership, I spoke with our librarian Ms. Lewis-Lockhart about some of the opportunities and resources available to Bells through the San Jose Public Library.
One of the key reasons for partnering with the San Jose Public Library is to provide Bells access to a wider selection of ebooks and audiobooks, which are in higher demand now more than ever. Additionally, the public library has a larger collection of books ranging from fiction to textbooks, test prep books, and many more. One of the goals of the Bellarmine Library is to help Bells learn how to conduct research, and while Bellarmine has its own databases, the librarians want to expose Bells to more varied databases that can be used for research to supplement Bell’s resources.
Ms. Lewis-Lockhart also noted that there are a variety of volunteer opportunities available through the San Jose Public Library, and these opportunities can be approved for CSP hours. Some of the currently available volunteer opportunities include tutoring and environmental work. Details of these opportunities are available on x2vol.
Moreover, the San Jose Public Library provides resources and tutors for homework help and test prep, both virtually and in person. In addition to the resources for homework and academic help, the library also provides practice tests for Bells who want to obtain a driving permit and test prep for a variety of standardized tests including the SAT, ACT, PSAT, and AP exams.
The San Jose Public Library system also provides unique services not offered by many other regional libraries including a teen space, a music studio, and a game center. Additionally, there are clubs that bells can join for gaming, coding, virtual reality, and Arduino. There are also extensive non-English resources available for students.
Every Bell’s San Jose Public Library card starts with 21194700, with their student ID number appended at the end. Their pin is their birth month and day. For example, for a student with a Bell Student ID number 123456 and a birthday on January 1st, their San Jose Public Library card number will be 21194700123456 with a pin of 0101. To learn more about services offered by the San Jose Public Library, visit https://bellarminecollegeprep.libguides.com/splash/publiclibraries
and do ask our wonderful librarians any questions you may have.
A big thank you to Ms. Lewis-Lockhart for speaking with me about this partnership.