Official Web Site of the City of Phoenix

Information is also available via the Library website at www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org

Special Needs Center
The Special Needs Center is designed to make the services and resources of the Phoenix Public Library accessible to people with disabilities. The Center is located on the first floor of the Burton Barr Central Library. The closest parking spaces are at the southwest section of the public parking lot near the Central Avenue entrance. The Special Needs Center can provide you with specific information about locations of bus stops and proximity to the library. Please call 602-261-8690 for specific information about any of the services or resources listed. Some services require an appointment to ensure available staff and equipment. TTY users can call us directly at 602-254-8205. You may also email us at specialneeds@phxlib.org.

• View more about the Special Needs Center on the Phoenix Public Library website

Special Collections
The Phoenix Public Library offers a number of special collections for our users, ranging from business, law, rare books, to vehicle and appliance repair. Select any of the links below to view more information about each on the Library website.

• Arizona Room - The Arizona Room, located on the fourth floor of the Burton Barr Central Library, contains a research collection of books, magazines, maps and other materials reflecting the heritage, lifestyle and geography of the desert Southwest from prehistoric times to the present.
• Foreign Language Collection - The Foreign Language Collection is housed on the first floor of the Central Library. The collection encompasses books, magazines, newspapers, audiocassettes and videocassettes for adults. The holdings for books in Spanish are approximately 15,000 volumes, while the rest of the collection contains 14,000 volumes written in 26 other languages, including Chinese, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian and Vietnamese.
  
• Foundations and Grants Collection - Phoenix Public Library's Burton Barr Central Library is a cooperating collection of The Foundation Center in New York City. Information on over 77,000 active U.S. private foundations and corporate giving programs can be found in the Foundation and Grants Collection.
• Government Documents - The Government Documents area of the Phoenix Public Library is located on the second floor of the Central Library. The Federal Depository Library Program was established to ensure that the American public has access to information produced by the federal government.
• Law Collection - The Law Collection at the Burton Barr Central Branch of the Phoenix Public Library has many resources to assist the layperson in understanding and resolving legal problems. Full access to this collection is available during all hours the library is open.
• Rare Book Room -The Rare Book Room is located on the fourth floor of the Burton Barr Central Library. This specialized collection consists of the Alfred Knight Rare Book Collection, an artist made book collection, and an excellent selection of materials on the history of the book and book arts.
• Vehicle and Appliance Repair - Established to meet both the needs of the do-it-yourselfer and professional service person, the vehicle and appliance repair reference collection contains information to assist in the repair, maintenance, modification or restoration of vehicles and the repair and maintenance of appliances and electronic products. Resources include more than 3,500 books and manuals, more than 400 volumes of SAMS Photofacts and several online databases.

More Library Services

• Interlibrary loan - Interlibrary Loan is a service that allows Phoenix Public Library card-holders to get books, audio books, videos, copies of articles and microfilm not owned by the Phoenix Public Library system. CDs and DVDs are not available through this service.