Phoenix Central Library - North East Corner - 2008-12-27

The Phoenix Public Library is a municipal library system serving

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the o ...

, and operated by the

city of Phoenix Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

. There are 16 branches currently in operation citywide, anchored by the flagship Burton Barr Central Library on the northern edge of downtown Phoenix. Four of the 16 locations were designed by prominent local architect

Will Bruder Will Bruder (born 1946) is an American architect. Biography Self-trained as an architect, Will Bruder received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, taking supplemental courses in structural engine ...

: the Burton Barr central library (opened May 1995), the Cholla branch location at Metrocenter Mall (opened 1977, enlarged and remodeled in 1990), the Mesquite branch at

Paradise Valley Mall Paradise Valley Mall was a shopping mall located in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The last remaining anchor stores were JCPenney and Costco. There were 3 vacant anchor stores that were once Sears, Dillard's, and Macy's. The former owner, Mac ...

(opened November 1982, expanded May 1998), and the Agave branch in far northwest Phoenix (opened June 2009). Many of its branches are named for endemic desert plants.

Background

The library traces its origins to 1897 when a group of citizens decided to raise funds for a library. This group, the Friday Club, consisting of women of upper socioeconomic standing with the same interests of advancement, sought to establish and organize the first public library in Phoenix. By opening day, the library consisted of 1,500 titles. In 1904, industrialist

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans in ...

donated money for a library building on Washington Street near the state capital; this building is still in operation as a museum, archives and research center operated by the

state of Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

. With the explosive growth of Phoenix after World War II, new branches were added citywide. A Central Library was opened in 1953 (replacing the Carnegie Library as Phoenix's main library location), but replaced by the aforementioned Burton Barr Central Library in 1995 (its building is now part of the

Phoenix Art Museum The Phoenix Art Museum is the largest museum for visual art in the southwest United States. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the museum is . It displays international exhibitions alongside its comprehensive collection of more than 18,000 works of ...

).Burton Barr Central Library, https://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/Locations/BurtonBarr

Libraries

* The

Burton Barr Burton Barr (1917–1997) was an American Army colonel, businessman and politician. He served as a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives from 1964 to 1986, and as its Republican Majority Leader from 1966 to 1986. Biography E ...

Central Library opened in May 1995 and is on five levels. The library is in Phoenix's

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

District 7
Burton Barr Central Library
* The

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus n ...

Library opened in January 1969 and is . It replaced the earlier Desert Mission Library which opened in 1929, and was housed in a building on 330 E. Eva Street. Acacia library is in District 3
Acacia Library
* The

Agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known ...

Library opened in June 2009 and is . The library is in District 1
Agave Library
* The Century Library opened in December 1973 and is . The library is in District 6
Century Library
* The

Cesar Chavez Cesar Chavez (born Cesario Estrada Chavez ; ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), which later mer ...

Library opened in January 2007 and is . Like the Central Library, Cesar Chavez is located in District 7
Cesar Chavez Library
* The Cholla Library opened in 1977 and was expanded and remodeled in 1990. The library is on two levels. The library is located near Metrocenter Mall in District 1, like Agave
Cholla Library
* The

Desert Broom ''Baccharis sarothroides'' is a North American species of flowering shrub known by the common names broom baccharis, desertbroom, greasewood, rosin-bush and groundsel in English and "escoba amarga" or "romerillo" in Spanish. This is a spreading ...

Library opened in February 2005 and has won numerous awards for its design, including the 2006 ALA/ IIDA Award for Innovation in Sustainable Design. The library is and is in District 2
Desert Broom Library
* The

Desert Sage ''Salvia eremostachya'', the rose sage, sand sage, or desert sage, is a perennial shrub native to the western edge of the Colorado Desert. It reaches high, with purplish green bracts on flowers that range from blue to rose to nearly white. The ...

Library opened in July 1997 and is . Like Central and Cesar Chavez, Desert Sage is in District 7
Desert Sage Library
* The Harmon Library opened in December 1950 and was replaced with a new structure in August 2009 and is . Harmon is in District 8
Harmon Library
* The

Ironwood Ironwood is a common name for many woods or plants that have a reputation for hardness, or specifically a wood density that is heavier than water (approximately 1000 kg/m3, or 62 pounds per cubic foot), although usage of the name ironwood in E ...

Library opened in October 1991 and is . Ironwood is in District 6, like Century Library
Ironwood Library
* The

Juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

Library, , opened in July 1996. Juniper is in District 3
Juniper Library
* The

Mesquite Mesquite is a common name for several plants in the genus '' Prosopis'', which contains over 40 species of small leguminous trees. They are native to dry areas in the Americas. They have extremely long roots to seek water from very far under g ...

Library, , opened in November 1982 and was expanded in May 1998. Mesquite is near the

in District 3, like Juniper
Mesquite Library
* The

Ocotillo ''Fouquieria splendens'' (commonly known as ocotillo (), but also referred to as buggywhip, coachwhip, candlewood, slimwood, desert coral, Jacob's staff, Jacob cactus, and vine cactus) is a plant indigenous to the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan ...

Library opened in 1967 and was remodeled in 2012. Ocotillo is and is located in District 7, like several others, including Cesar Chavez
Ocotillo Library
* The Palo Verde Library opened in January 2006 in Maryvale Village. Palo Verde is and is located in District 5
Palo Verde Library
* The

Saguaro The saguaro (, ) (''Carnegiea gigantea'') is a tree-like cactus species in the monotypic genus ''Carnegiea'' that can grow to be over tall. It is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mexican state of Sonora, and the Whipple Mountains ...

Library opened in September 1964. Saguaro is and is in District 8, similarly to Harmon.
Saguaro Library
*

South Mountain South Mountain or South Mountains may refer to: Canada * South Mountain, a village in North Dundas, Ontario * South Mountain (Nova Scotia), a mountain range * South Mountain (band), a Canadian country music group United States Landforms * Sou ...

Community Library opened in September 2011 as a partnership between Phoenix and

South Mountain Community College South Mountain Community College is a public community college in Phoenix, Arizona. It is one of the ten colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District. History South Mountain Community College was established by the governing boa ...

(SMCC). SMCL is
South Mountain Community Library
* The

Yucca ''Yucca'' is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40–50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish ...

Library opened in March 1969 and was remodeled in 2001. in size, Yucca is located in District 5, like Palo Verde
Yucca Library

Notes

External links

Phoenix Public Library Official Web Site
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Phoenix, Arizona Public libraries in Arizona Carnegie libraries in Arizona Tourist attractions in Phoenix, Arizona