Books are essential to students. So, how does a person get a book in a college with five different libraries? 

It is fairly simple. CAC’s libraries, much like their five campuses, are located throughout Pinal County. The libraries provide students with a place to study and check out books for class. They are an important part of every campus. CAC students’ also have the ability to access resources digitally.  

The website catalog.pinalcountyaz.gov allows CAC students to request books from CAC campuses and from any Pinal county public libraries. The process is fairly simple. Brandy Madrid, a librarian at the Aravaipa campus, posited that when you request a book, “It will go through the carrier and then reach you in one to two weeks.” 

According to Jonathan Osmer, a librarian from the Signal Peak campus, the pandemic hindered CAC’s ability to inform students about the resources libraries provide. Osmer said, “Because there were no in-person orientations, which is where we usually let students know about this, it has been hard to spread the word.”  

 Waiting for a book is not the only option.  Each campus is packed with hundreds of books, non-academic and academic, catering to different interests. Several librarians from CAC welcome students to not only read academically, but read personally as well. Some librarians even provided personal book recommendations to check out at each respective library. 

Osmer noted the Signal Peak library’s extensive collection of fiction books. He decided to give a recommendation for Stephen King’s “Cujo,” a horror fiction novel that would be fitting for this month. Osmer added “Cujo” was, “The only book that scared me as a kid.”  

Madrid noted the Aravaipa library’s extensive number of cookbooks, which she particularly enjoys. For Aravaipa students she recommended, “Magical Animal Cakes” by Angela Romeo. She hoped students would check out the cookbooks to expand their knowledge and to learn a new craft.  

Scott Snellman, a librarian from the Maricopa campus, noted that, although Maricopa’s fiction collection is not as extensive as Signal Peak’s, he understands exactly why. “The reason we don’t have a lot of fiction is because students are able to check out books from Pinal’s public libraries.” Still, Snellman wanted to show that Maricopa has some good fiction on their shelves, specifically science fiction. Snellman recommended, “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline. Snellman said, “We also have the first book in the series, it’s an interesting book that has a lot of references.” 

So, CAC students, start reading! Explore your campus library or check out books at catalog.pinalcountyaz.gov.