Velma Teague Library Relocation FAQ - updated 12/19/24

The building is in extremely poor condition and needs a little more than $5 million just to remediate problems (would not include new amenities). For those of you who visit regularly, you know that our Community Room must rely on portable air conditioning units to cool the space as does our server room. The roof needs to be replaced along with the entire electrical system and controls, lighting, plumbing, and bathrooms. Because the building was constructed in the late 60’s/early 70’s, asbestos building materials were used in the construction. While the building is safe to occupy, we cannot make any changes to the building without a comprehensive asbestos remediation.

Yes, we could. However, the design of the building does not meet modern library design standards and our ability to deliver additional amenities like more programming/meeting rooms and quiet rooms for patrons would be extremely limited. We want Velma Teague patrons to have the best library in the system. To do that at the existing building would require bond funding which we do not currently have, and the project would not take place for approximately 3-5 years. The estimated cost for that project in the future is a little over $17 million.

No. The building opened in 1971 and was the third library building that Glendale had. The branch was named the Velma Teague Library when it opened in honor of the city’s long-time head librarian who had passed away two years before the project was complete. What is historical is the legacy of our library system, how it began, and the nostalgia associated with Velma Teague’s advocacy for expanding the library to what it is today. The legacy and history of the Velma Teague Library will be both honored and elevated in this process at the new location as well as in Murphy Park.

Actually, the home of the first library collection was located at Glendale and 58th Drive originally. It was started by Victor E. Messinger who had moved to Glendale in 1895 and brought with him a collection of almost 400 books that he made available to the public from an office at a lumberyard he managed. As interest in the library grew, community members donated materials to the collection warranting relocation to a new home at Glendale and 58th Drive where Messinger served as a part-time librarian. In 1898, a formal library association was formed to create the first Glendale Library. It did not have a permanent home and moved through various locations including schools, offices, and even a corner of City Hall.

In 1917, the library settled in a small building in Murphy Park. In 1938, a new 2,200 square foot Spanish-style mission building was constructed for the library in Murphy Park. Then in 1971, thanks to the advocacy of Velma Teague the new 15,500 square foot facility was opened and served the community as the sole library until the Main library was constructed in 1987.

5835 W. Palmaire Avenue, just one block north of the existing library. It is a little more than 800 feet door-to-door from the existing building.

The new location is attached to a parking garage to provide convenient covered parking and easy access to the library. There is also on-street parking surrounding the building.

Based on the feedback we have received from patrons, we expect to incorporate art exhibits, a maker space, meeting and gathering space, and a “library of things” for checkout in the overall design along with our collection and ample seating space. The new facility also has a large outdoor patio space that will remain in the new design.

The timeline is still being fully developed, but the facility is expected to open in the first quarter of 2026 around the same time the new City Hall, amphitheater, and Murphy Park are opened.

Yes. We expect to need to close the library for approximately 4-6 months to allow reconstruction of Murphy Park. We will be developing a continuity of operations plan to minimize impacts to Velma Teague patrons by providing programming and hold pick-ups at nearby locations to the degree possible. We will provide more information as those plans are developed.

This project includes an additional $1.5 million investment to return the former library location back into a park amenity. There is not currently a design for what the park will look like, but there are no plans to make it anything other than a park. There will be additional communication from the city as the design process for Murphy Park begins.

We will be sending regular email updates to our Velma Teague patron list as well as publishing them in the news section on our website, in the library e-newsletter, and posting stories on the library’s social media pages. If you have an active library card and a valid email address registered with us, you should receive our email newsletter automatically.

Library News

Patrons can email questions to library@glendaleaz.com or call 623-930-3591 and a member of the library’s management team will contact you by phone.