City of Application
Santa Clara
silion!
Board / Commission / Committee Applying for:*
Board of Library Trustees
ersonal Information
SOLIVED
Name*
Marilyn Edelstein APR 1 3 2026 6:c8pn
Are you a registered voter and resident the City of Santa Clara?* City Clerk's Office
(Must be a registered voter at time of application)
6 Yes C. No City of Santa Clara
Address*
Street Address
Address Line 2
City State / Province / Region
Santa Clara CA
Postal / Zip Code Country
95051 USA
Email*
Primary Phone Number*
Secondary Phone Number
Provide two forms of Proof of Residency in the City of Santa Clara (Must be a resident of the city of santa clara at time of application) Attachment 1*
My driver's license. paf 51.46KB
Attachment 2*
Silicon Valley Power utilities bill, March 2026.pdf 102.25KB Present Employer*
Retired from Santa Clara University
Job Title*
Professor Emerita of English (Santa Clara University)
Nork Experience
Have you attended a meeting of this Board/Commission?*
C. Yes F No
Previous Government Bodies/ Elective Offices Applicant has served Government Bodies/ Elective Offices Position/ Office Held: Date how
1 Civic or Charitable Organizations to which Applicant has belonged:
Civic or Charitable Organizations Position(s) Held: Date Modern Language Association Lifetime Member
Bergin Legacy Society, SCU Member
Ashawna Hailey Legacy Society, Long-Time Member
Second Harvest of Silicon Member
Valley Member
ACLU
PEN America
Special Interests, Hobbies or Talents
I'm a retired English professor at Santa Clara University and have decades of experience and expertise in teaching. researching, writing, editing. My primary focus has been literature (especially modern and contemporary fiction) and also multicultural literature. I also have been teaching one course on short stories each year for SCU's Osher Lifelong Learning Program since 2007. Ive published a number of scholarly articles and book chapters. I'm very well-organized and very committed to academic freedom.
College, Professional, Vocational Schools Attend
High School, College, Professional, Vocational School Major Subject Date Ph.D., SUNY at Buffalo English 6/15/1994
M.A, University of Chicago General Studies in the Humanities 6/16/1975 B.A, Goddard College, Vermont Interdisciplinary Humanities 6/14/1974 Special awards or recognition received:
Sisterhood Is Powerful Award, SCU, 2017
Numerous research and teaching grants and awards at SCU (and two National Endowment for the Humanities research seminar and institute grants).
Please state reasons why you want to become a member of this Board/Commission/Committee, including what specific objectives you would be working toward as a member of this advisory board:
I have been a lifelong patron of and believer in public libraries (as well as academic libraries), starting in childhood and have also been a regular donor (of both monetary donations and used books) to the Santa Clara City Library, and I will be leaving a significant legacy to the library. I visit the Central Library branch at least once/week and check out many books (including through Link Plus) regularly and use some of the other library resources (e.g. the technology Center and the Reference Desk) periodically. 1 have been a member for many years of the Library's Foundation and Friends In these troubling times, maintaining support and growth for public libraries is increasingly crucial. I believe in academic freedom and freedom for writers and readers (hence my long associations with the ACLU and PEN America). I am also a strong advocate for inclusiveness, multiculturalism, equity, and diversity (and participated in many SCU activities over the years, including teaching and research workshops on these issues and practices). I have lived in Santa Clara since 1987 (when | first began to teach in the English Department at Santa Clara University, and from which 1 retired as Professor Emerita of English in 2023). Now that I am retired, I believe joining the Board of Trustees of the Santa Clara Library Commission would be an excellent use of my skills, background, and interests and that i would have a lot of expertise to share. I would work toward even broader outreach to our community and building up the library's collections, particularly of print books but also of electronic sources and databases.
Any other information which you feel would be useful to the City Council in reviewing your application:
As I've noted, as a retired English professor and a long-time resident of Santa Clara and patron of the Central Library. I feel like I would offer a lot to the Board of Library Trustees. I am quite adept at online research. I read a lot (primarily Are you associated with any Organization/ Employment that might be deemed a conflict of interest in performing your duties if appointed to this position?*
C Yes C No
City policy directs all advisory body members not to vote on matters where there exists a potential conflict of interest. Would you be willing to abstain from voting if such a conflict arises?*
6 Yes
Signature
Marilyn Edelstein
Date
4/10/2026