Maricopa County Library District (established 1929) is a public library system located in central Arizona, United States. 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 2013-14, the Library District served 3.1 million customers and loaned 8.3 million items.
Contents
Branches
51300 West U.S. 60 Aguila, AZ 85320
14011 N. 1st Ave. El Mirage, AZ 85335
10600 W. Peoria Avenue Room 143 Sun City, Arizona 85351
12901 N. La Montana Dr. Fountain Hills, AZ 85268
202 N. Euclid Gila Bend, AZ 85337
14455 W. Van Buren St., Suite C-101 Goodyear, AZ 85338
9241 S Avenida del Yaqui Guadalupe, AZ 85283
15844 N. Hollyhock Surprise, AZ 85374
101 W. Wigwam Blvd. Litchfield Park, AZ 85340
40410 North Gavilan Peak Parkway Anthem, AZ 85086
16089 N. Bullard Ave. Surprise, AZ 85374
1965 E. Queen Creek Rd. Gilbert, AZ 85296
21802 S. Ellsworth Rd Queen Creek, AZ 85242
9330 E. Riggs Rd Sun Lakes, AZ 85248
775 N Greenfield Rd. Gilbert, AZ 85234
16828 N. 99th Ave Sun City, AZ 85351
20304 W White Tank Mountain Rd Waddell, Arizona 85355
Collections and services
Multiple copies of best-sellers are displayed on bookstore-like shelves near library entrances and a large collection of DVDs provided for library customers. With the 24x7 ASK! service, enquirers get an answer to a question from a librarian, anytime day or night seven days a week, with the online chat service.
All 17 branch libraries utilize the District's homegrown ShelfLogic classification system (formerly referred to as Dewey-less), which means 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 renamed it the Sun City Branch Library.
Awards and recognition
The Library District has received national awards for its 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.
The library district was awarded the Pioneer Award for Quality by The Arizona Quality Alliance in 2006.
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 toured 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.