The Library

Cards and services

A library card covers both the shelves and the full set of online collections listed further down this page. Applications can be started on the library's own website or completed in person.

The building holds the catalog, a digital collection of ebooks and audiobooks, public computers and wi-fi, and printing, copying and faxing. Staff provide notary service, and titles the library does not hold can be requested from another library through interlibrary loan.

A grant-funded study pod is also installed: soundproof, climate controlled and seating two, intended for video calls, study or quiet work.

The Monday bookmobile

Every Monday the mobile library travels to a different stop in the valley from 3:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon, carrying books, DVDs and games. Home visits are available on request. In a community spread across this much ground, the bookmobile is how a good share of the district is served at all.

The hydroponic garden

The library runs a hydroponic garden capable of growing over 240 plants at a time, free to valley residents. Starter herbs, vegetables and lettuce are available, and the library will grow plants on behalf of residents who cannot grow them themselves.

The senior food pantry

Residents over 60 living in Amargosa Valley or Beatty may register for the food pantry, the frozen meals program, or both. The program runs in partnership with Helping Hands of Las Vegas.

The pantry carries shelf stable items, bread, produce, protein and paper products. The frozen meals program provides 20 pre-made meals with a main dish and vegetables. Those meals are not separated for allergies, which is worth knowing before registering.

Online with a library card

All of the following are included with a card at no cost.

• Libby, over 24,000 ebooks and audiobooks through the Nevada Library Cooperative.
• Kanopy, over 30,000 videos, with Kanopy Kids alongside it.
• Comics Plus, comics, graphic novels and manga with no holds or waiting.
• Brainfuse HelpNow, live tutoring, a 24 hour writing lab, and an adult learning center covering the GED, resumes, citizenship and Microsoft Office, with Spanish support.
• Gale LegalForms, Nevada specific forms covering divorce, bankruptcy, power of attorney and more.
• Gale GetSetUp, classes built for people 55 and over.
• Chilton, auto repair, maintenance and service information.
• Beanstack, reading goals and tracking.
• Bibliotele, Spanish language streaming.
• Hive Class for fitness, and Play Garden, an online preschool for ages 2 to 4.

The library also lends Roku devices and runs a spice club.

Programs and groups

Book club meets the first Tuesday of the month. A genealogy group meets monthly on a Thursday afternoon, with FamilySearch access provided through the library. Library Chef runs live cooking classes three times a month for adults and twice a month for children, split between ages 5 to 9 and ages 10 and up. BeFit Amargosa is a weekly community fitness meetup built around gentle exercise.

The schedule changes month to month and is posted on the library's website and its Facebook page.

Outgrowing the building

The library occupies roughly 2,000 square feet in a building about forty years old, and it has run out of room. One bathroom has been converted to storage. The children's room holds about fifteen children. There is no large print section, and the foreign language collection is fitted in wherever space allows.

The district has secured a USDA grant covering most of the cost of an addition and has been working through the clearance process. The stated goal is for the library to become the center of the community again.

Who runs it

The Amargosa Library District is an independent taxing district rather than a county department, which means its governance sits with this valley. A five member board of trustees oversees it, and any resident of the district is eligible to serve. Trustees may hold the seat for up to two consecutive four year terms.

As listed by Nye County, the trustees are Patty Sue Cottingham, James Gitzlaff, Joseph LaBossiere, Mary Schoeck and Katelynn Stone. The board meets monthly, and agendas and minutes are posted on the library's website.