Patricia Rowe Burns California History Collection Endowment
Established by Dr. H.W. Burns and his wife, Patricia R. Burns, the endowment honors their interest in California history, particularly of the early French and Spanish settlers. Both held strong and established ties in California and specifically with the King Library and San José State University. Hobert ("Bert") served as both the Academic Vice President and interim President at San José State University while Patricia, a fifth-generation Californian, received her Master's in Library and Information Science from the university. The endowment ensures their love for California and its rich history will continue in perpetuity by enabling the King Library to expand its collections of California history — with a special emphasis on San José — through the acquisition of books and other print materials, the licensing of digital information resources, and the digitization of selected existing special collections.