Let's Meet: Lani Yoshimura

Lani Yoshimura, the 2011 Woman of the Year, works as the community librarian at the Gilroy Library. She’s piloted literacy programs, sits on the board of the South County Collaborative and is watching her vision of a new library come to life downtown.

Patch wanted to know more about this Gilroy resident and her dedication to literacy and life-long learning.

Patch: How does it feel to be recognized as Woman of the Year? Was it an expected recognition?

Lani Yoshimura: I’m incredulous! Librarians seldom receive this type of public recognition. I am still speechless and flummoxed by the flurry of attention. It’s wonderful to be paid to do something that you love and be rewarded with public thanks. What else can I say? It’s a considerable honor.

Patch: What made you decide to become a librarian?

Yoshimura: Like many of us that grew up in the 60s, we believed in social change. At the time that I went to UC Santa Cruz, the Students for a Democratic Society and other radical groups were all active.  

However, most of us in the class of 1969 were inspired by our college professors who told us to “go out and make a difference” not by overthrowing the government, but by working at ordinary jobs at the grassroots level.  Some of my classmates went into the Peace Corps. Others became postal workers or bakers. I considered teaching but librarianship seemed the best vehicle for me.

I come from a family dedicated to service. My father, maternal grandfather and some of my aunts and uncles all believed strongly that you always give back to the community and leave things better than you found them. Libraries particularly attracted me because my father prized the freedom of speech above all. Libraries are embodiments of the First Amendment. Libraries change lives.

Patch: You’ve had an interesting journey to get to the Gilroy Library. Can you tell me about that?

Yoshimura: My real interest is in working with communities. My family lived right next to a farm labor camp and one summer, I asked my father to help me get a job picking crops from dawn to mid-afternoon so I could experience the migrant community and practice Spanish.  

I worked in the library in the evenings. I eventually started to work in the San Jose Public Library where I learned about working with communities. I ran the tiny Alviso Library in a diverse neighborhood of boat-builders and Spanish-speakers. At the San Jose Public Library, I oversaw the community information desk where I learned to find answers for people not in books, but in the community. I was hooked.

Patch: What drew you to Gilroy?

Yoshimura: I was born and raised in Colusa, a farming community of 3,500 in Northern California. Gilroy reminded me very much of my small hometown although Colusa’s population never expanded.  I love the challenge of Gilroy—its diversity, its capacity for change and growth.

Patch: You were involved in the creation of La Isla Pacifica, a shelter for battered women and children, correct? What’s the story behind that?

Yoshimura: In the late 1970s, there was an agency called OWL that was the precursor to South County Alternatives and then Community Solutions. One of the women who worked at OWL was Judy Gelwicks. She called me and a couple of other professional women working in local agencies and asked if we’d like to meet for lunch once a month to network. More women began to join the group, and we decided to take on a project.

We first called ourselves Council On Women’s Services, but later changed the name to Women’s Services Council when we discovered that the first name had the acronym of COWS! The group developed and implemented what was to become La Isla Pacifica.

Patch: Looking forward, what are some issues or projects that you are focused on and excited about?

Yoshimura: The first project is getting the new library established. Since it is a green building, we will be consumed with learning how to run the building. There are many programs to establish and to expand. Because the new library finally will have space, we will be able to sponsor more programs, partnerships and enhance services.