Why did we create STEAMstacks?

Many of modern civilization’s most profound developments were initiated here in San José and Silicon Valley. They were the result of someone with an idea and the ability to bring it to life. More than ever, people here are harnessing that legacy, breaking out of the role of consumer, and becoming creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs.

The concept of Library is expanding from a place for consumption of information and media, to a place for self-directed and peer-assisted learning, creation, invention, and entrepreneurship. Hands-on technology learning can expose disenfranchised residents to opportunities to develop skills and access the hardware and software industries that are booming around them in the Silicon Valley.

While STEAMstacks encourages local community engagement, it is also part of an international movement fostering creative, social thinking and life-long learning through making. San José Public Library intends to be a key node in that connected learning network and to incorporate its capabilities into the community’s overall knowledge infrastructure.​