Evolving Library Services

In November 2018, the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) Governing Board and Scottsdale City Council unanimously voted to phase out the existing Intergovernmental Agreement on June 30, 2020. City operations will cease on May 21, 2020 at which time the school district will take over operations of the library. This decision was made after both the City and District evaluated their resources and needs.

Transitioning Library Services

The Library's goal is to meet the needs of the community. The library will provide key library services and programs out of Rio Montana (11180 N. 132nd St.) park's activity room. Although it is certainly not as large as Palomino Library, it does offer a convenient location for modified library services, initially including:

• Adult, Youth, and Story Time programming
• Hold pick ups
• Book returns
• Popular items available for checkout

Student Services

While Palomino Library will no longer operate as a public library, it will function as a library for Desert Mountain High School Students - the same as the other four SUSD High Schools.

Factors taken into consideration by the City

This decision was not easily made; and many factors were thoughtfully considered before the November 2018 vote. Here are just a few of the data points considered:

Key Metrics:

• Number of Library Card Holders
• Attendance
• Adult and Youth Programming Attendance
• Circulation

Attendance Evaluation:

• The attendance numbers/gate counts demonstrate that the Library is primarily used more by Desert Mountain students than the public.
• Compared to the other library branches the attendance in general at Palomino is significantly lower impacting cost per patron that tax dollars fund. In 17/18 the attendance at Palomino was 4,934 compared to 19,379 at Mustang Library.

Cost Per Patron: