The Desert Foothills Library.
After living in Arizona for three years and buying books on Amazon, a few weeks ago I discovered our library in the foothills of Cave Creek. Hence the name — Desert Foothills Library.
I joined but didn’t check out any books until this week. I was reading a three-book series by Lisa See called the Red Princess Mysteries — that I bought from Amazon. The day I finished the third book, I packed them up and headed to the library. The library has a section called “Second Chapter” where you can buy books for 50 cents to a dollar. I donated the three Lisa See books, plus, went through my bookshelves to find a dozen other books I liked, but didn’t necessarily want to keep.
In Palm Springs, the local library was part of my weekly routine. We checked out VHS movies when the kids were little. I did research for my writing there. I got the kids’ library cards when they turned four years old. Every week we went to check out books. It was as essential to our daily lives as the grocery store.
I’ll never forget after watching a number of movies with my son including “Sound of Music,” “An American in Paris,” “Singing in the Rain,” and Meet Me in St. Louis.” One day he asked, “Mom, do they make any movies where they don’t sing and dance?”
At least he got a good dose of 1950s and ’60s culture.
It felt really good to walk inside the library. After donating my books, I walked up and down the aisles and read a variety of jacket covers and blurbs. I felt like I should celebrate after checking out my first book!
Do you belong to a library near you? What’s your favorite thing about libraries?
Inside the Desert Foothills Library.
This looks like an inviting library. I’m glad you joined. I am not a member of our local library because it is nowhere near where I live. It’d cost me more in gas money to get there and back than is worth it.
E-books? No gas needed 🙂
I don’t do e-books, but take your point. IF I did do them, then I’d join regardless of its location.
I don’t like ebooks either because I fall asleep listening. Then I have no idea where I am in the book.
Same.
This is an interesting library because it’s not affiliated with the County and receives no tax dollars. I’m curious if they have one big donor or do fundraisers.
That is different. Around here tax dollars go to the local libraries and you get your card for the library in your county.
I read from the library website that in the 1990s they separated from the County Library system and became independent. It doesn’t say why.
Sumner is part of the county library system so I have access to materials across multiple sites if I choose. Our building is small and so I’ve stuck with ebooks since I got a card when I moved here. I know that some folks feel they want to buy books but really there are so few that I really want to keep so the library is essential and so easy even though you might have to wait a bit for a book. Love that you can take your older books there for others as well! Are Little Free Libraries a thing where you live? Many people around town have them and I drop older books there. Stopping at those was a highlight for the grands when they spent the night. They loved trading books.
We don’t have Little Free Libraries where I live. We are too spread out. But my kids have them where they live.
We have beautiful libraries and plenty of them in every area of Florida. It is wonderful! I have often wished that I became a librarian! You can find an interesting library whether it is a small town or urban thoroughfare. So so many and so varied.
So true. I also wanted to be a librarian when I was young.
I love libraries, too, and I feel they are an anchor for any healthy community. Many cheers to your libraries!
May I ask what changed that your desire to become a librarian went away?
I was very young — first or second grade — and I put labels on all my books spines and made library cards. I’d pester my brother, mom and dad to check out my books from my library. As I got older, I had grumpy librarians who turned me off from that career choice.
That is absolutely adorable! And I’m so saddened that grumpy librarians turned you off from it, but fortunately, not from libraries. Not being grumpy should be on the job requirement of every librarian, methinks 🙂
It’s funny how many times our career choices are determined by the people we meet and their choices?
That’s probably so true that we make career choices because of people we meet in those roles. I had two librarians, one school, the other town, that wouldn’t let me check out books above my grade level. I would read the books my two-year older brother brought home. Not finish them and not be allowed to check them out.
I felt I became too old for another career change.
You know, this is something I thought so much about that I even wrote about it. Do you know how old the gentleman who wrote Shrek (the book that the multi-billion franchise was based on) was at the time he wrote Shrek? (Hint: it’ll cheer you up)
Well, I published my first novel (Debut) The Bayou Heist last year, never too old to write. The best are the oldest in my opinion who have often experienced what they write about. However, for some fields which do include attending school in person, internships, etc. as I am near retirement, I will leave it to those a little bit younger.
I took a Series 7, 65 and insurance licensing in my 50s. My husband wanted me to help him at work. It was harder to study as a mother of two and that old. But I did it. However, I hated the job and quit after a few years.
I will be retiring this year. I believe it is time. I will still keep writing! My husband took series exam for his finance job. Challenging!
The tests weren’t as challenging for me as knowing what to do to help clients.
I find my role as a co-teacher for VE extremely challenging and they keep changing the IEP computer system. Huge shortage of teachers in the field, but lots of critics with supervisors. I may work part time, again. Who knows////if I get bored. I will re-evaluate by Christmas.
That’s a nice choice to have.
That is a good way to look at a new situation as a nice choice because there are so many openings in charter, private, and the district. Thanks for reminding me! Sometimes change as you get older is difficult, so think of the good things. If one crew gives you challenges, think outside the box or just enjoy as I will be old enough to retire.
Yes!
I love libraries…and I’m a lucky girl to know have smart librarian friends. Such wonderful local resources. Cheers to you for being a good patron of your local library, Elizabeth! 🥰
Libraries are wonderful places. Plus your library is lucky to have your recent presentation!
Aww! Thanks! Really terrific people. Xo! 🥰
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Love the library. My first job was as a page in our local one which is right up the street from me now. I go often. Twice a year they have a “friends of the library” book sale and you can fill a bag of books for $10. Happy reading to you!
Thanks. That’s so nice you’re down the street from your library.
Oh, I love this post, Elizabeth. Libraries are the best! And especially with kids – they are essential. Here’s to the Dessert Foothills Library!
I have so many great memories of taking my kids to the library. Libraries are essential for our children. I don’t know what took me so long to discover our local library! Probably COVID when we moved here and then out of the habit.
I loved taking my kids to the library when they were little. We would walk out with stacks of books. LOL about watching musicals with your son and his question! I love those musicals. Sound of Music is my all time favorite movie!! <3
I don't use the library very much anymore. I was meeting there with a writing group before 2020 happened.
My problem is remembering to take library books back. LOL! Plus I enjoy reading books and sharing them with my mom and friends. Sometimes highlighting great quotes from them, you know how I love quotes. So I like having my own books. But the library is a wonderful resource for sure. If I had one closer to me I would probably go more and one that was bigger. Ours is pretty small. I visited one in Texas when we were on vacation and i could have stayed in that one for hours. 6 floors! Plus a rooftop garden with comfy chairs that you could go out on and read. So cool.
Wow. Six floors and a rooftop garden! Sounds amazing. When my kids were young, we’d leave the library with stacks of books. I agree it’s hard to remember to return books on time. I checked out two books this time, and have the receipt with the date as a bookmarker!
Ahh! Good idea about the bookmark. 😊
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I have a solution for your remembering to take the library books back (and given my very flawed memory I get that issue 🙂 ) — eBooks! They make their way back at the end of the checkout period without you having to do anything about it 🙂
I love books and I love having my own books, I get that. But it turns out that our house is not the right size to accommodate my appetite for books, and so a few years ago I had to change my habits. I used to only buy physical books, but a few years ago, I stopped buying physical books except as an exception. When I loved a book so much that I really wanted to see it looking back at me from a shelf (or a pile 🙂 ). I thought I would not be able to make the transition, but it was easier than I expected 🙂
Oh, I hear you! I love my Kindle, and I didn’t think I would at first because I was such a lover of real books that I could hold in my hand. But yes, now I have more access to more books. I NEED to learn how to borrow books from the library on my Kindle. I just keep downloading free or really cheap ones.
Haha, about your house not accommodating your appetite for books. Same here.😊
I still like real books. I used a kindle for a couple years but went back to paperbacks. I like them better than hard bound because they are lighter.
I still prefer real books, too, and still get a lot of them, but I’m glad I have my Kindle. I can read in the dark with it. 😊
Reading in the dark is good. I remember being on a flight and my Kindle died. I think that’s when I decided to return to books.
Oh, yes, my Kindle I carry as a backup. I like that its compact enough to fit in my purse. I still carry real books for that very reason.
I don’t know what happened to my Kindle!
I sooooooooooooooooooo hear you about the love of physical books, ones I can hold in my hand, sniff with my nose, enjoy the sensation of flipping a page… I thought that was such an inherent part of the reading experience. And maybe it is. My reading experience HAS changed. But there’s the joy of carrying 100 books anywhere you go (yes, essential to one’s joy… :D), the joy of checking out a book from the comfort of your home and have it automagically materialize in your hand, and yes, be automagically returned, so there’s no chance of late fees EVER.
As much as I want to say I’m making progress in unloading the books in our house, most progress is in only getting new eBooks 😀
I’ve tried ebooks but I like physical books better. When we moved into our new home, I converted the formal dining room into my office. I found a gorgeous, huge bookcase at the Kiwanis thrift store for $20! So, now that it’s full of books, I weed out the ones I don’t want anymore. I was donating them to Kiwanis, but now I’m taking books to the library.
That’s an awesome deal for $20!
It is! Also, I went all over Scottsdale at furniture stores and consignment stores and it was the only book case I found.
Once I acquire a book, I struggle with letting it go… So the two large book cases in our den were supplemented by two smaller one (they had to fit 🙂 ), and then another room got one enormous book case, and a couple other not-so-large ones, and there are some books piled as well … I think moving to ebooks was good for me 🙂
I can see that. My son and his wife were Lit majors and they keep adding bookshelves until they wrap around rooms.
We used to have membership of British council library when we were in school, and had our school library too. But recently ( rather a long time now) I haven’t stepped inside a library.
It’s been since the COVID shutdowns for me that I haven’t been in a library. Our Palm Springs Library was next door to the pool, that I was at every day for my kids swim practice. On the other side of the pool was their school. So the library was located in the perfect place for us.
That’s really awesome. Over here very few people have time to visit libraries so it’s s sort of a dying institution here
That’s sad.
Very sad. Our sources of get books are book stores- new or used ones.
That makes sense.
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I love libraries and spent so much time visiting libraries in my childhood into my twenties. As a kid, the closest library was in downtown Chandler, which felt so far! In my teens, it was Greenfield, and I’d read and write overlooking the lake/nature preserve. In my 20s, it was Scottsdale Civic Center, which is huge and also backs up to a nice park. Love, love, love libraries! Glad you’ve discovered the local gem.
I’m now sensitive to musty smells, so can’t be around old books, which is a bummer. Now I have an e-reader. I swore I’d never get one, but it’s been great borrowing digital books.
It sounds like you grew up with a wonderful variety of libraries. Yes, I can see how the musty smell of old books wouldn’t be good for you. I went into a used bookstore in SLC to buy a book for my flight home. I love that smell.
I love the smell, too! Maybe one day the sensitivity will go down. Fingers crossed.
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I do belong to our local library, as do our grands. It used to take used books, but stopped during covid and never started back up again. Very sad. When I patronize the library, it’s usually with the grands. Otherwise, I’m a big fan of e-books and audio books. I have sooooo many actual books in MY library, I could spend years re-reading all of them….but I can’t seem to give them away!
I don’t have grandkids — yet? But I can see how you’d want to take them to the library. I loved taking my kids when they were young. I have books from my childhood that I can’t give up. It’s easier with recent ones I’ve bought on Amazon.
I used to frequent our library until Covid. Then I flipped over to their e-book and audio book offering on line. I haven’t been back since. I miss the library.
I stopped going to the library during COVID too because it was closed. Then we moved to Arizona and I forgot about libraries.