John Steinbeck Library

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The John Steinbeck Library is located in the center of Salinas, California. The library was voted to become named after Steinbeck in 1969. The library held the Steinbeck archives up until 1998 when they were transferred to the brand new National Steinbeck Center. The library made national headlines in 2004 and 2005 when it was being threatened with closure. The library, along with the two other libraries in Salinas, was on the verge of closing because of insufficient funding. In 2005, a nationally covered read-in drew citizens as well as authors to the library to raise awareness about the potential closure. This national publicity, as well as private funding, saved the library. Had the libraries closed, Salinas would be the largest city in the United States without a library.