Cathy Schaber
Now that you know there are three libraries here in SaddleBrooke, what is keeping you away? There are so many reasons to use them. You surely are living near one. You can get there in your golf cart, on your bicycle, or on your daily walk. The SaddleBrooke and DesertView libraries are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon. The Cholla Library at MountainView is open whenever the clubhouse is open. What could be more convenient?
The SaddleBrooke One and DesertView libraries purchase new books every week, and these appear on our shelves much faster than in the local public libraries. The wait list for popular bestsellers is substantially shorter in SaddleBrooke than elsewhere. We also acquire new large-print titles several times a month. If you can’t find your favorite author quickly enough in regular print, try the large-print collection. It may even have a longer circulation period.
Our procurement specialists are keenly aware of the SaddleBrooke residents’ reading preferences and habits and tailor their purchases to these desires. Multiple copies of the most popular bestsellers are often available, and you can suggest books for the library to purchase.
To aid the many neighborhood book clubs, our libraries maintain a list of the local book club selections. These titles are designated with a Book Club Selection sticker on the spine. Although we don’t specifically purchase books for the clubs, their suggestions are taken into consideration.
We don’t require you to carry a library card. You just need to be registered as a patron using your phone number. Except for the paperbacks at SaddleBrooke and the Cholla Library’s books, the entire collections at SaddleBrooke One and DesertView are available online through the cloud-based catalog. You can reserve anything from home.
Although eBooks are very popular outside of SaddleBrooke, there are many interesting items not available in this format. There are special collections within our library system, distinctive to our community. The SaddleBrooke One Library has a section for authors who live in SaddleBrooke. The DesertView Library has the Southwest, genealogy, national parks, and travel collections. The children’s section, containing books for all reading levels, as well as children’s videos, is also located at DesertView.
In addition to print books, there is a very large audiobook collection at DesertView. This is also where the extensive collection of DVD videos is located, both movies and television series. Current, donated magazines can be found at all three libraries.
As a reminder, the Friends of SaddleBrooke Libraries (FSL) grants almost all of the funds to purchase the new books, audios, and DVDs for the SaddleBrooke Community Libraries. The two HOAs do not provide any money for new books. Your support of FSL is very important, through both membership dues and attendance at their many fundraising events and raffles. Be sure to visit their website at www.sbfsl.org, as well at the libraries’ website at www.sblibraries.com for more information.
Best of all, you will find friendly volunteers assisting when you visit the SaddleBrooke libraries. They might even be one of your neighbors!