FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SADDLEBROOKE LIBRARIES
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Who manages the Libraries?
There are three libraries in SaddleBrooke, one in HOA1 and two in HOA2. However they all use the same catalog system, share the same policies, etc. The three libraries are jointly managed by a Library Administrative Committee. Members of the committee are the Library Coordinator (a volunteer position) who chairs the Committee, and six other members who are also responsible for the day to day management of the libraries. The libraries are staffed by more than 100 volunteers. The Library Administrative Committee is not a club. It is a sub-committee of the Recreation and Activities Committees in both homeowner associations. As such, the committee can request limited financial support from the two HOAs, for items like furniture, computers, shelving. The homeowner associations do not provide funds for purchase of books.
Where do you get the money to buy books? What about the books donated by residents?
We have two major sources of funding for new books and audio-visual materials. Grants from the Friends of the SaddleBrooke Libraries provide most of the money for new materials. This is supplemented by sales of surplus books held throughout the year.
We appreciate the many donations of books and add a large number of them to the collection. However we need the grant funds from the Friends of the SaddleBrooke Libraries to be able to purchase new fiction and non-fiction titles every month, as well as Large Print books, audio-books, DVDs, materials for the SW Collection, etc. Without money from the Friends we would not be able to provide as many items, nor the quality collections that we have been able to build.
Aren’t the Friends and the libraries the same?
No, they are two distinct organizations. The Friends of the SaddleBrooke Libraries (FSL) is a non-profit organization whose primary purpose is to provide funds needed to support the three libraries. The Library Administrative Committee annually submits a grant request to FSL for funds that will be needed during the next year to purchase new library materials. FSL also provides funding for special projects or purchases such as the printing of bookmarks, or equipment that is not funded by the HOAs.
Why can’t I deduct the value of books I donate to the libraries from my income taxes? Can I donate them to FSL instead of the library?
As private libraries, the SaddleBrooke Libraries are not open to the public nor do they qualify for or receive any government funding. Neither are they a non-profit organization. Officially, they are a part of the two homeowner associations. While FSL is a non-profit, they have a policy of not accepting materials, only financial donations.
Why aren’t the SaddleBrooke Libraries part of the public library system?
The SaddleBrooke libraries are located on private land and owned by the Homeowners Associations, which are private organizations. As such, our libraries cannot legally be part of a public library system, nor would we want people from outside of SaddleBrooke using our libraries.
Can you borrow books for me from other libraries, such as the Pima County Library system?
Because the SaddleBrooke Libraries are not, and cannot be, part of a public library system, we also are not able to participate in their interlibrary loan systems. Mailing and transportation costs for such systems are usually funded by a government agency or university, which have access to public funding sources. Participating libraries must agree to loan their materials to any other library in the system. This would reduce access to our library materials by SaddleBrooke residents and would also incur costs for mailing, since we are not eligible for public funding.
Why don’t you have computers and printers in the library for residents or guests to use to access their e-mail or the Internet? Where else can I go?
While there is no space for public access computers at the HOA# 1 Library or at the MountainView Clubhouse Library, residents are welcome to bring in their own computers to use in the library if using batteries. (Cords can create safety issues.) Both locations have Wi-Fi service. At the DesertView Library, there are two work stations that can be used by residents with their own computers, with wireless access to the Internet. A decision was made by HOA#2 management not to provide public access computers at DesertView primarily because of lack of technical support available, and because it would place unreasonable expectations on library volunteers. Printers are not provided due to costs of paper and cartridges, as well as the above mentioned service and staffing issues.
Public use computers are available at the Catalina Library on Oracle Road. The PC Paramedic office in Suite U in the commercial center on SaddleBrooke Boulevard has display computers that can be used for brief periods, for example, printing a boarding pass.
Why don’t the SaddleBrooke Libraries have Reference materials?
Actually we do have very limited collections of reference materials such as dictionaries and atlases. Our mission statement makes it clear that our purpose is to support the “leisure reading interests” of SaddleBrooke residents. To provide a more complete reference service requires three elements:
- A regular investment of funds to be sure the materials are the most current available.
- Space for a reference collection in one or more of the libraries.
- Professional staff to assist users in locating information.
Since we rely on grant funding and book sales to purchase materials we cannot be sure that there will be a steady income stream to keep a reference section up to date. None of our libraries currently have space available for a more comprehensive reference section. The libraries are all staffed 100% by volunteers, most of whom have not had professional library training. And finally, most SaddleBrooke residents have access to the Internet and can locate a far broader range of information than we could possibly provide in the space we have. Professional public library reference services are only a phone call away.
How do you decide what books to purchase?
Over time, we have learned that SaddleBrooke residents enjoy reading many of the latest best sellers, but we also know they have much broader interests. We look at usage patterns for items already in the collection to try to anticipate which authors or topics will be of most potential interest. Several different volunteers are involved in the purchase process and they use a variety of sources to learn about and select new titles. Our policy is to not purchase topics that become outdated very quickly.