It all started in 1988 with a set of cookbooks, thirty-five paperbacks, and a group of extraordinarily dedicated residents with a vision. The result was the Sun City Oro Valley Library—a recreational library with an outstanding collection tailored to the tastes of our population. Since its founding, the library has been housed in five locations, beginning with a table in what is now the Gift Shop. It has grown over the years and is now housed in a beautiful space in the Welcome Center, where computerized circulation and an online catalog have replaced the old way of doing things. Today there are approximately 15,000 items in our collection, making it the size of a small public library.
The Library Technology and Facility Update Project, completed in August 2015, was made possible thanks to a donation from the ILR (Institute of Learning in Retirement), fundraising efforts of the FOL (Friends of the Library), and the time and talent of members of the Woodworking Club, as well as the many hard-working library volunteers. From the early days of checking out books based on the honor system, to recording unit/lot and phone numbers on library cards, to today’s state-of-the-art online circulation system, the library has earned a place as one of the most-used (and beloved) amenities in Sun City.