The Pima County Public Library administration will start its conversation about the future of the library system anew in January, and include a robust and months-long community engagement process for patrons to weigh in on any proposed measures, said library administrators.
The library advisory board held a meeting Nov. 15 to discuss the future of the library system following a controversial internal library report that proposed closing or downsizing multiple libraries.
The draft report, which suggested the starkest changes proposed to the public library system since it cut back hours in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, set off a period of public outrage and engagement.
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That report has now been tabled, but the library administration still plans to rethink ways to address some of the systemic issues mentioned in the original report. Those include hiring and retaining staff, continuing to offer a range of support services for unhoused communities and dealing with deferred maintenance at the central library location.
The vacant Wells Fargo building downtown is being explored by county officials as a temporary space for the Valdez library during renovations, according to a Pima County memo.
The recent months of discussion about the library report, while at times angry and upset, did make one big change: a shift in the hiring practices at the library.
“We worked with county HR to do our best practices,” said Amber Mathewson, director of the county library system. That includes evaluating more resumes before asking candidates for an interview, and shortening how long positions were posted. “We’re interviewing smaller numbers of people, but getting more of the positions filled.”
Still, the library has seen the number of budgeted staff positions fall since the pandemic, from 404 budgeted full-time positions in fiscal year 2020 to 338.9 for fiscal year 2025.
That is in part because a policy adopted in the last year or two at the county level means any position in the county open for 280 days or more is swept, said county administrator Jan Lesher, who was present at Friday’s meeting.
Here’s a look at what else came up in the planning meeting:
Vacant Wells Fargo building floated as possible temporary downtown library space
The future of the Joel D. Valdez Main Library, a downtown landmark for 34 years, remains in question due to what library administration has said is a need for extensive repairs. That includes new elevators, a new roof and a new heating and air conditioning system.
The building is owned by the city of Tucson and leased by Pima County, but who has ultimate responsibility for the maintenance and why large portions of it went unaddressed for years was unclear during Friday’s meeting.
“I don’t know how we got to this point,” said Lesher, who attended Friday’s meeting. She acknowledged that there were different ways to meet the renovation needs, which could include vacating the building entirely, or closing portions of the building.
Regardless, she hoped the county would continue to have a downtown branch. “I can’t imagine us not having the library here,” she said.
One challenge library staff face is finding an available downtown building that would meet minimum size requirements, which are about 45,000 square feet.
A memo to Lesher from Jeff Teplitsky, the director of a county branch that reviews property acquisitions, names one possibility: the Wells Fargo complex downtown. The memo was shared with the Pima County Board of Supervisors Nov. 12.
The largest of those buildings is at 150 N. Stone Ave. It’s about 36,724 square feet and is located directly across Stone from the current library.
The building, built by the now-defunct Southern Arizona Bank and Trust in 1957, was the main branch office of Wells Fargo and was closed in 2023, according to the Arizona Daily Star.
A county-owned building at 97 E. Congress was also mentioned in the report to Lesher.
A representative for the city of Tucson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The original Library Futures report proposed vacating Valdez for the renovations but also downsizing the central library location.
Proposed 10-month timeline
The plan to create a new strategic vision for the library system is expected to take about 10 months, according to a draft planning outline shared with Arizona Luminaria at the meeting.
That includes:
- Months 1-2: Plan for initial engagement activities, marketing rollout and possibly selecting a consultant
- Months 3-5: Implement engagement activities that include surveys, workshops and focus groups
- Months 6-7: Analyze data, compile results and prepare draft recommendations
- Months 8-9: Present the draft strategic plan to stakeholders, including community members and patrons
- Month 10: Finalize and present the strategic plan to the public and board
Weekend or evening hours could be expanded
In 2020, Pima County reopened its libraries after several months of closures, but kept limited hours at many branches.
As of November 2024, the Valdez Main, Dewhirst-Catalina, Dusenberry-River, El Rio, Frank De La Cruz-El Pueblo, Himmel Park, Joyner-Green Valley, Santa Rosa, Southwest, Wheeler Taft Abbett Sr., Sam Lena-South Tucson and Salazar-Ajo libraries remain closed on weekends and with various weekday hours until 7 p.m. at the latest.
One big question from board members during the meeting was how shorter library hours, which in some branches didn’t include evenings or weekends, impacted library attendance.
“This hours thing is so important because by not getting back to our pre-pandemic hours we have cut off so many people from using the libraries,” said board member John Halliday. “These libraries are a huge public investment and to have them closed, it’s just a shame.”
With the library hiring staff to fill vacancies at a higher rate, said Mathewson, the system could consider extending some library hours. “We have been increasing hours as we increase staff, and once those are filled we will even be able to do nights,” she said.
Corrections and clarifications: The library advisory board meeting was held Nov. 15.
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