Joel D. Valdez Main Library – Main Library

I love this place! It’s huge the book selection is great. The kids area is amazing.
I’m epically fond of the seed selection in the seed exchange program.

I’ll keep it simple.
Pros:
The library has a sizable selection of books on tape. Going for a long drive? Don’t pay the rental fee at Cracker Barrel! Check out the local library first.
The library keeps late hours Monday through Wednesday — closing at 8 p.m.
Open on Saturdays and Sundays, too.
The librarians can be strict here. Seemingly more so than, say, the Valencia location and the Woods library. I’m serious. Do not mess with these folks. Do. Not.
They have rooms to use if you are hosting a meeting or study group.
Cons:
The library has its own parking lot, but charges a fee if you stay beyond one hour. However, you can get free parking if you are there late enough.
…I cannot think of another con.
That is all.

What a great experience at a public institution. We went there to make some final computer printouts for a small claims case that we were defendants in at the court house across the street. We were very stressed out at the time in anticipation of the court hearing. I went up to the desk to ask about the procedure for using the computers and printer. The lady was extremely helpful and issued us a login and password for the computer. We couldn’t figure out how to print so she came over to help us but she couldn’t figure it out either. She immediately called someone for help and another lady came within a couple of minutes to help. She was very pleasant and solved all our problems. Thank you!

This is the biggest library in town.
Since Google is taking over the world, there is not must use for books anymore.
There is a large amounts of books and eager librarians ready to assist you.

I guess people don’t travel out of Tucson or Arizona much Or they would notice Tucson is definitely a raggedy place with low morals and values. Let alone class.. I’ve been in a number of Pima County Libraries including the Main one. Never have I seen so many homeless, and very young unattended children as I see in Tucson. Pitiful. Are there not laws in Tucson about unattended young kids. The homeless are everywhere. The smell just permeates thru the bldg. They sit for hours on computers playing games or looking at sex websites. Pitiful. Usually it is in Main Libraries one see’s it. However in Tucson it is in many of the branch locations also. One has to go to Oro Valley or Marana to escape that. I no longer care to go to Tucson’s libraries. It’s like the city. Pretty much a place where no one seems to care or has much direction in life. Very sad. Whether its the Main Library or the others. Tucson can keep them.

I love this place. The staff is super friendly and eager to help. If you have any special needs they are most eager too hello accommodate. Parking is the only drawback.

I was so spoiled by the Tempe Public Library – its massive collection, beautiful location, and relatively short wait for any best-​seller – that I was unwilling to check out the Pima County Public Library until a few months later after I moved back to Tucson. To my surprise, it didn’t disappoint.
The Pima County Library system is quite sprawling and each satellite location shares a portion of the book resources. Therefore, depending on where the copies are, you may not find the book on your first physical visit. But the online catalogue/​account and interloan system have made it easy – you can reserve the book online and pick up from the library closest to your home when it is placed on the reserve shelf for you. The collection, while not as comprehensive as the Tempe Public Library, is still very extensive. I have always had good experience with getting the books I want.
The Joel D. Valdez location is right in downtown and has the beautiful red abstract architecture. Free parking for 1 hour in the nearby garage. The library apparently has a lot of job assistance programs, and it is clearly mindful of the homeless population in downtown Tucson and offers help to the homeless as well. I applaud it for its commitment and contribution to Tucson.

This part of town (downtown) always seems to dead to me when I visit Tucson, and not just because of the lack of people. Also because of the vagrants that walk around looking like zombies. This library seems to be their gathering point/​feeding grounds, which is unfortunate, but c’est la vie.
Anyhow, I took my infant daughter in to see if we could find some books to entertain her for a short while and we found immediately upon entering a children’s section just to the left. The library scores some points for that.
We found a small section with bilingual and Spanish-​language books that seemed to have no order to their placement and gathered up a few to read to our little one. Thankfully, there were some comfortable couches to sit on and read aloud, so we found a good respite from the heat and brewery-​visiting.
We stayed until closing, in the process using the bathroom to change our daughter, and my wife and I were both infinitely thankful for the changing station in the bathroom.
We didn’t peruse any other sections of the library, but the children’s section was pleasant enough, if needing a much larger section of bilingual/​Spanish-​language books.

The front of this library is apparently Tucson’s crusty hippie homeless shelter.
The bathroom’s are covered in gang graffiti, no mirrors (can you say creepy), and the floor always has about an inch of water on it.
The people working here are really sad. and it makes me sad.

In the age of the internet, checking out books from a library isn’t that important to me.
The Good: If you really want FREE high speed internet wi-​fi connection, this library has it. I went all over the city connecting to free wi-​fi internet connections and all I get is mediocre speeds — enough speed to read the news etc. but not fast enough to download huge files. Another GOOD is free wired connection with a library card. You can access their computers to connect to cable speed internet connection with a library card and upload or download a file from your usb drive at very high speed. You can also check out DVD’s. And lastly, they have a site where you can download free mp3 songs.
The Bad: This is one UGLY building! First time I saw this building I thought it was a funeral home. It has horrible use of space. The parking garage is narrow. I’d wished they tore it down and build a new one (maybe, a Spanish Revival influence design to match the old Pima County Courthouse — that’s a gem!!). Tucson’s biggest library should be an architecture wonder not an eye sore ! Did someone got kickbacks in return for this design?

It’s the city’s largest library for non-​students. It is clean, air-​conditioned, has computers, and with the exception of one irritated woman, the staff is consistently friendly. As far as Tucson libraries go, it makes the cut but does not exceed it. They recently remodeled the second floor by making the shelves MUCH shorter. I’m guessing it was for security reasons, because it looks awful. I don’t want to go into a library and be able to see from one end to the far end — a library’s far end should always be blocked from view by tall shelves of books. As for the security — irritating. They make their rounds with such frequency that it seems like you can’t go five minutes without having one pass your side. Why is this necessary? All I’ve ever seen them do was wake up homeless people who had fallen (or decided to) asleep. Does it really make a difference to the typical patron whether they are asleep or awake? They are still there, their smell lingering in the air, so just let them sleep if it means you’ll stop irritating us with your overbearing presence. All they really need is the one stationed at the entrance — it is just a library!!!
Then there’s the bathrooms. Creepy. Nice of the security to keep homeless people from sleeping in the main area, too bad they never noticed them asleep in the stalls. Then there’s the creepy sign posted near the entrance and inside of the bathrooms: 24 hour camera surveillance. I asked a librarian once if this meant that they have cameras in the bathrooms — she said no, and said they were just there to deter grafitti. So then why post them in the bathrooms?

Pima County Public Library to use kindle for ebooks.

The main branch of the Pima County Public Library is perfectly adequate for most patrons, but leaves a bit to be desired for me. The organization seems designed to discourage patrons from stopping in for a quick read of the newspaper or a magazine, regaling both to the third floor. I understand the decision to have the kids section on the ground floor, but the periodicals would be a much better ground floor option than the «popular books» that are there now. I wonder if it’s a subtle way to discourage homeless men & women from frequenting the library?
The main branch seems to be the best choice for parents looking for programming to share with their kids as they clearly have more options than do other branches. It might not be for everyone, but it gets the basics done that a library should.

Um, yeah, so Tucson is NOT NYC (see F.B. below). Anyone surprised by that?
Considering that the state of Arizona provides as little as possible in the way of public services to its citizens, the Tucson Public Library is a treasure. Honestly, any institution that celebrates community and learning in this state should be applauded.
The TPL has a good collection of popular books. Yes, you might not find the newest books in their collection, but I get the sense that they’re working on it. I regularly find interesting classic films on DVD at the TPL. Just last week, I checked out some great Al Green and Stevie Wonder collections in the CD section.
IF I want avant-​garde, I know I have to pay for it myself because I’m certainly not paying for it in property taxes.
Yay, Tucson Public Library. We love you!

They tore down some old buildings in an entire city block for this worthless junk of a Library. It’s already outdated, cramped and awkward. It smells bad as there is no good ventilation. They don’t have great literature books, instead, you’ll find sugar numb candy for bored people. Only recently they’ve gotten DVD movies. Whoever designed it didn’t think about the future. Oh, & the local politician schmuck who got it put up has recently put his name on it.
I suggest getting your books on line from City Lights in SF, Powells in Portland or the Strand in NYC instead.
UPDATE: I got a rude email from (TK L.) in which he called me «crazy» for expressing my dissent on the Tucson-​Pima Public Library. I guess he’s never been to some other big city Libraries since he thinks this one is so great although he doesn’t provide any arguments as to why it is so good, just general comments like «I don’t buy books anymore» or «You can check out books free with a card». Gee, that helps, so you are afraid to go out, big deal. A library is good, only if it has different books, not just junk for the masses. Tucson-​Pima Public Library fails on that account, as I said, but he didn’t read it, must have attended one of the crappy schools in Tucson. I’ve requested that the library buy the book I wanted and in no case did the library buy the book (he says they do, must have been Stephen King that he wanted). Providing fluff for bored housewifes to read is not a public service. He’s also probably paid by Pima county or he lives in a nut shell.
UPDATE: No one said Tucson was NYC.
” Um, yeah, so Tucson is NOT NYC (see F.B. below). Anyone surprised by that? «
Nobel prize winners from 1900 – 1950 are not considered „avant-​garde“. It’s obvious you don’t read much anyways Julie A.
» IF I want avant-​garde, I know I have to pay for it myself because I’m certainly not paying for it in property taxes. ”