A Brief History of the Desert Foothills Library
From our humble beginnings in February 1954, to our present day establishment … come take a stroll with us through our historic timeline.
February 1954
February 14, 1954
Corolyn Cox, Library Chairman of the Cave Creek Improvement Association (local civic authority), signed a contract with Maricopa County to operate the new Cave Creek Branch Library. Dorothy E. Smith, Librarian, was named as its first Director (pictured here). First year circulation was only 1,302 materials, given mostly out of the trunk of Smith’s car.
May 1957
September 1960
October 1966
April 1969
March 1975
Early 1975
The Cave Creek School gave notice the Library had to move! There was not enough room anymore and an anonymous couple stepped forward to pledge $30,000 to a free standing library; The Desert Foothills Library Association was formed, incorporated, and a Board of Directors appointed to see this crisis through.
February 1977
February 14, 1977
The Board chose the current location of the library on top of Saguaro Hill for the proximity to the school and the beautiful views. The grand opening was exactly twenty-three years after the first signed contract with Maricopa County. The Library was 2,000 square-feet. The Library is renamed the Desert Foothills Library.
July 1980
May 1984
November 1986
1986
Arizona House Bill no. 2372 was passed by the Arizona Legislature enabling the counties to form ‘library districts’ with taxing authority and requiring towns to either join or withdraw. On June 10, 1987 the Desert Foothills Library Association unanimously voted to leave the Maricopa County Library System to become an independent public library.
April 1987
February 1990
April 1994
December 2009
Late 2000’s
True to fashion, the library was due for another expansion! The Library was open seven days a week, even in the mess of the remodel. With this new space the Friends of the Library were able to move into their own book sales room. Other new features included: increased shelving space, a storytime room in the children’s section, study rooms, state-of-the-art conference room, enhanced adult programs, WI-FI throughout the building, passport processing office and photo services, patios for quiet reading, and a botanical garden.
July 2017
April 2018
2018
The most adventurous remodel yet! The Library is expanded to include a new community room which can be split into two different rooms if needed. The back patio is removed to add more study space and comfortable chairs to enjoy the beautiful view. Chapter 2 Bookstore gains more room to house its ever growing sales. Club 1117 is added to create a welcoming atmosphere for teens in the area, and updated technology in every programming room. Almost every inch of the Library is fixed or added to accommodate the growing needs of the Foothills community. Circulation is over 900,000 materials each year!