Maricopa County Library District

Maricopa County Library District (est. 1929) is a public library system located in central Arizona. The Library District serves unincorporated areas in Maricopa County, Arizona in addition the District partners with cities/towns and school districts to operate their libraries. The District operates 17 libraries. During fiscal year 2009-10, the Library District served over 3 million customers and loaned more than 5 million items.

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Branches

• Aguila Branch

51300 West U.S. 60 Aguila, AZ 85320

• El Mirage Branch

14011 N. 1st Ave. El Mirage, AZ 85335

• Fairway Branch

10600 W. Peoria Avenue Room 143 Sun City, Arizona 85351

• Fountain Hills Branch

12901 N. La Montana Dr. Fountain Hills, AZ 85268

• Gila Bend Branch

202 N. Euclid Gila Bend, AZ 85337

• Goodyear Branch

250 N. Litchfield Rd., Suite 185, Goodyear, AZ 85351

• Guadalupe Branch

9241 S Avenida del Yaqui Guadalupe, AZ 85283

• Hollyhock Branch

15844 N. Hollyhock Surprise, AZ 85374

• Litchfield Park Branch

101 W. Wigwam Blvd. Litchfield Park, AZ 85340

• North Valley Regional

40410 North Gavilan Peak Parkway Anthem, AZ 85086

• Northwest Regional

16089 N. Bullard Ave. Surprise, AZ 85374

• Perry Branch

1965 E. Queen Creek Rd. Gilbert, AZ 85296

• Queen Creek Branch

21802 S. Ellsworth Rd Queen Creek, AZ 85242

• Robson Branch

9330 E. Riggs Rd Sun Lakes, AZ 85248

• Southeast Regional

775 N Greenfield Rd. Gilbert, AZ 85234

• Sun City Branch

16828 N. 99th Ave Sun City, AZ 85351

• White Tank Branch

20304 W White Tank Mountain Rd Waddell, Arizona 85355

Collections & Services

An emphasis on a popular materials collection along with a marketing slogan echoes the District’s spirit of giving customers what they want. Multiple copies of best-sellers are prominently displayed on bookstore-like shelves near library entrances and a large collection of DVDs provided for library customers. 24x7 ASK! ---is another way the District enhances customer service---one can get an answer to a question from a librarian, anytime day or night seven days a week, with this online chat service.

The District has been using technology to enhance the provision of quality services, to keep pace with the rapid growth it is experiencing, and to continue to keep pace with its evolving role as an information provider in one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S. Technology has enhanced customer service with self-service such as “SmartCard” library cards with a chip imbedded so that customers can reserve computers, pay for printing and save favorite Web sites.

Four of the libraries in the system are "Dewey-less", meaning they do not use the Dewey Decimal Classification format to file books. Instead, these four libraries are set up with books and media located in "neighborhoods" by topics, like a modern bookstore.

The Maricopa County Library District also operates a virtual branch and a Books by Mail program.

History

Maricopa County started a free library system the day after the stock market crash in 1929. The enormous population increases in the 1960s and 1970s led the County Library System to undergo reorganization to meet the demands of the residents. In 1986 the State Legislature passed a bill allowing Arizona counties to establish library districts. In 1987 the County Board of Supervisors voted to form the Maricopa County Library District (separate governmental and tax entities). The County Board of Supervisors serves as the District’s Board of Library Directors.

During fiscal year 2007-08, the Library district welcomed more than 3 million customers and loaned more than 5 million units of materials.

November 2008—The Queen Creek Branch Library opened a new 27,000 square feet (2,500 m²) building, expandable to 47,000 square feet (4,400 m²).

March 2009—The Goodyear Branch Library opened in temporary quarters in the Goodyear City Hall.

May 2009—The Library District took over the once privately-held Sun City Bell Branch Library and re-named it the Sun City Branch Library.

Awards and recognition

The Library District has received national awards for its innovative programs and technology. In 2005 MCLD was awarded the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award for The Mystery Club of Luna Drive, an Original Online Serial Novel. MCLD went on to produce two more online novels for kids which are available online for any library, school, child reader or parent to access and enjoy.

The Library District was awarded the Pioneer Award for Quality by The Arizona Quality Alliance in 2006.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006 the District turned the book Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora into a World Premiere stage play adapted and performed by a professional children’s theater company that toured schools and reached over 70,000 children. First Lady Laura Bush saw the play on invitation from the District. The theater company will tour it nationally in 2007.

In 2009, the Library District received the National Book Foundation—Innovation in Reading Prize for developing innovative means for creating and sustaining a lifelong love of reading—awarded to the District for its "Dewey-less" libraries. Several of the libraries in the District have adopted s bookstore format for shelving books and media by subject matter to make finding them easier for customers.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ "Locations and Hours." Maricopa County Library District. Retrieved on January 12, 2010.

External links

Arizona portal

• Maricopa County Library District
• Maricopa County