For Immediate Release Contact:

Amy Bolton, Public Information Officer
City of Goodyear       
Office:  623-882-7053
amy.bolton@goodyearaz.gov 

Contact: Andrew Tucker, Communications Administrator
Maricopa County Library District
Mobile:  602-577-3497

Goodyear library open Sundays beginning July 30

 
Goodyear Branch Library 
14455 W. Van Buren Street, Suite C-101
New Sunday hours beginning July 30: Sun. 1 – 5 p.m.

Goodyear, Ariz. (July 14, 2017) – The Goodyear Branch Library, 14455 W. Van Buren Street, will be open on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. beginning July 30. The Library is currently open Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The City Council’s adoption of the Fiscal Year 2018 budget included a boost in funding to extend the library’s operations allowing access to library services and programs seven days a week in Goodyear.

“The Library is an integral piece of the city of Goodyear,” said Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman. “Maricopa County library card holders will now have even greater access to many wonderful programs and resources, including the Innovation Hub, which offers workshops, webinars, a meeting room, and business assistance.”

The extra hours of operation are just one of many improvements at the library. The entrance to the facility was upgraded to improve accessibility and add an artistic, shaded seating area that lights up in the evenings. Another feature of the entrance includes a literary quote chosen by patrons that is engraved in the concrete: “A book is a dream that you hold in your hand” by Neil Gaiman.

“The citizens of Goodyear have provided so much support for the library over the years,” said Goodyear Library Manager Beth Medley. “The most common thing people ask us for is more open hours. We’re excited to have the chance to provide our customers with the library services they love all seven days of the week.”

A book drop-off kiosk designed by local students also now stands outside of the main entrance. The functional public art, titled ‘Storyteller’, was designed by 15 local teenagers from various schools who worked collaboratively with master artist Aaron Rothman as part of the Gallery 37 program offered by the West Valley Arts Council. Featuring lighting and panels that people can move and change to create a story for others to view, the book return is already proving popular with young patrons as they spin the triangles on the side of the return to tell their own story using visual icons.

For more information, call the Goodyear Branch Library at 602-652-3000 or visit www.goodyearaz.gov/library and http://mcldaz.org/custom/branches/goodyear/.  

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About the Goodyear Branch Library
The Goodyear Branch Library at 14455 W. Van Buren Street opened in January 2014 as a partnership between the city of Goodyear and the Maricopa County Library District. Featuring a dedicated children’s area with activities and computers just for kids, the 10,000 square-foot multi-generational facility also has a space just for teens to hang out with friends and enjoy the selection of teen materials. There are more than 136,000 active library cardholders, of which 75% reside in Goodyear. In any given month, the Goodyear Branch Library sees more than 10,000 visitors who check out an average of 30,000 to 35,000 items. In Fiscal Year 2016, there were 667 community interest programs attended by 15,428 people and the library circulated 405,301 physical materials. A recent survey indicated that 93% of respondents were satisfied with programs and activities and 88% felt that the service received at the Library was above average or excellent. For more information about other imaginative, transforming library programs, visit www.goodyearaz.gov/library.