Join the Annual Gira de Libro!
San José Public Library (SJPL) invites you to ride your bicycle and explore your libraries.
This year marks the eleventh annual Gira de Libro Library Tour by Bicycle, a guided community and staff bicycle ride. We will visit four of SJPL’s 25 locations.
The Tour starts and finishes at the Calabazas Branch Library, 1230 South Blaney Avenue, on Saturday, May 16.
The Tour will visit the following libraries:
Ride Details
- Meeting Location: Calabazas Branch Library, 1230 South Blaney Avenue
- Length: 17 miles
- Map: Route Map
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Participants: Everyone who is powering a bicycle must be a competent rider, able to ride in a straight line and keep 5-10 miles per hour pace for 15 miles
- Adult Supervision Needed: Children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian
- Pace: The Tour is ridden at a casual, leisurely pace and we stay together as a group
- CA Helmet Law: Persons under age 18 must wear a helmet
- Weather Permitting: The bicycle tour will not be held in the event of inclement weather
We will stop to regroup and enjoy a walking tour of each library and enjoy a light lunch at West Valley Branch Library provided by SJPL.
Stuff to Bring
In addition to having a bicycle in good working condition, please bring your own following items for a more comfortable and safer ride:
- Reusable water bottle
- Water bottle refilling stations are available at most locations. Bring a reusable water bottle and refill your bottle as needed
- Lunch and snacks
- Bike helmet
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Layers and/or weather appropriate clothing
Make sure your bicycle is in good working order! You’ll need gears for this ride! Please confirm the brakes are in good working condition and the chain is lubricated (it should not sound like birds chirping).
Why Bicycle Library Tours?
The Gira de Libro Library Tour by Bicycle is a fun tour for library lovers and bicycle enthusiasts. With the growing momentum of bicycle awareness, advocacy and infrastructure in Silicon Valley, libraries are pursuing innovative bicycle-related services and programming. Hosting library bicycle tours increases the visibility of our libraries and get librarians out into the community.
Library bicycle tours appeal to a broad demographic including young adults, adults and families. They bring people of all ages together and highlight the importance and significance of the library's role in the community and in bringing people together. Additionally, library bicycle tours get people of all ages out of cars and moving, showing that bicycling is a viable means of transportation to the library and everyday use.
What's in a Name?
The name of the Tour, Gira de Libro Library Tour by Bicycle, is a play on the name of the famous Italian professional road bike stage race, Gira D'Italia, which takes place in May. SJPL's Gira de Libro roughly translates to "turns of the book" or "book tour."
Social Media:
Share the adventure or follow the journey
- Twitter: #giradelibro
- Instagram: #giradelibro
- Pictures on Flickr of previous years