Safford City-Graham County Library
Encyclopedia
The Safford City-Graham County Library is a public library
in Safford, Arizona
serving Graham County
, Greenlee County and Gila County. It is known locally by the abbreviated Safford Library.
It currently has 13,625 active users.
.
Jan Elliott serves as its current director. Under Elliott's supervision, the library's primary focus was shifted to childhood
literacy
in 2008,
partnering with programs such as Dolly Parton
's Imagination Library and the online tutoring service Tutor.com.
An average of 8,000 people visit the library every month, using its computer services, books, rental movies, audiobooks and special programming. Story times for children 0-5 are held weekly.
Its current building, designed in an arrowhead
layout, was purchased in 1991 and converted from a furniture store. It can be seen briefly in the background in Albert Brooks
' film Lost in America
.
of 2008, the Safford Library saw deep budgetary cuts in 2009. Staff and programming were reduced and an annual fee of $ 50.00 for non-resident users was proposed to aide funding. The communities of Graham County
protested in editorials to the Eastern Arizona Courier, causing the Safford City Council to rescind the proposed charges.
In 2010 the establishment of a library district was proposed in a volunteer, community-led campaign to aide the Safford Library in its funding and prevent it from hypothetically closing. In this defense it was argued that Graham County was one of the few in the state of Arizona not to have a collectively taxed library district.
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
in Safford, Arizona
Safford, Arizona
- History :Safford was founded by Joshua Eaton Bailey, Hiram Kennedy and Edward Tuttle, who came from Gila Bend, in southwestern Arizona. They left Gila Bend in the winter of 1873-74; their work on canals and dams having been destroyed by high water the previous summer...
serving Graham County
Graham County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*72.1% White*1.8% Black*14.4% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.8% Two or more races*8.3% Other races*30.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, Greenlee County and Gila County. It is known locally by the abbreviated Safford Library.
It currently has 13,625 active users.
Library Today
The Safford City-Graham County Library is located on 808 S 7th Ave in Safford among a district of governmental buildings, including Safford City Hall and the Graham County CourthouseGraham County Courthouse (Arizona)
The Graham County Courthouse is located at 800 Main St. in Safford, Arizona. The Classic Revival/Neo-Classic style courthouse was built in 1916. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982....
.
Jan Elliott serves as its current director. Under Elliott's supervision, the library's primary focus was shifted to childhood
Childhood
Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...
literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
in 2008,
partnering with programs such as Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
's Imagination Library and the online tutoring service Tutor.com.
An average of 8,000 people visit the library every month, using its computer services, books, rental movies, audiobooks and special programming. Story times for children 0-5 are held weekly.
Its current building, designed in an arrowhead
Arrowhead
An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...
layout, was purchased in 1991 and converted from a furniture store. It can be seen briefly in the background in Albert Brooks
Albert Brooks
Albert Lawrence Brooks is an American actor, voice actor, writer, comedian and director. He received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for his role in Broadcast News...
' film Lost in America
Lost in America
Lost in America is a 1985 comedy film directed by Albert Brooks that was co-written by Brooks with Monica McGowan Johnson. Brooks stars alongside Julie Hagerty.-Plot:...
.
History
The library was located in the Oddfellows Home of Arizona, a former sanctuary for orphans and historic attraction, from 1963-1991. The two story Tudor Revival style of building was split into two separate organizations, the bottom floor serving as the library and the top as a Safford museum.Funding and Controversies
With the Financial CrisisFinancial crisis
The term financial crisis is applied broadly to a variety of situations in which some financial institutions or assets suddenly lose a large part of their value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and many recessions coincided with these...
of 2008, the Safford Library saw deep budgetary cuts in 2009. Staff and programming were reduced and an annual fee of $ 50.00 for non-resident users was proposed to aide funding. The communities of Graham County
Graham County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*72.1% White*1.8% Black*14.4% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.8% Two or more races*8.3% Other races*30.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
protested in editorials to the Eastern Arizona Courier, causing the Safford City Council to rescind the proposed charges.
In 2010 the establishment of a library district was proposed in a volunteer, community-led campaign to aide the Safford Library in its funding and prevent it from hypothetically closing. In this defense it was argued that Graham County was one of the few in the state of Arizona not to have a collectively taxed library district.