Meeting Rooms

Please call 594-5275 for more information and to reserve the meeting rooms. Please read our Meeting Room Policy (PDF). See meeting rooms available at other library locations.
Print out a Meeting Room Use Application (PDF).
Meeting & Study Rooms
We have one large meeting room (capacity 100, 1280 sq. ft.) and two smaller conference rooms (capacity 8, 120 sq. ft.).
Computers
You may reserve a computer up to two times per day. We offer:
12 computers with 60 min. sessions
3 computers with 30 min. sessions
3 computers with 60 min. sessions for teens in the Teen Room
We also have wireless internet access available. Bring your laptop and use the library's WiFi network for free. For more information, please see our WiFi FAQ.
History
The Kirk-Bear Canyon Branch Library opened in 1991 - in what was then described as the "far northeast side" - in the Bear Canyon Shopping Center, 8959 E. Tanque Verde Road. It was the 16th library added to the system and one of two branches located in shopping centers for customers' convenience.
It had 11,200 square feet, a collection of between 25,000 and 30,000 materials, and no computers for public use.
In 2005, the branch added 4,300 square feet to provide additional meeting room space and a computer lab with 15 computers for $1.07 million. The original building was also completely remodeled, to blend the two structures' architecture.
It is named after James Lee "Jim" Kirk (1926-2003), who was elected to three terms on the Tucson City Council, beginning in 1958, and eight terms as Pima County Treasurer, beginning in 1968. Under his guidance, the county Treasurer's office implemented one of the first computerized tax processing systems in the United States. When he retired in January 2001, Kirk had served in elective office longer than any Republican since statehood. An editorial in the Arizona Daily Star once described him "as much a fixture in downtown Tucson as the courthouse dome over his office."
Kirk moved to Tucson from Pennsylvania with his family in 1946. He earned two degrees from the University of Arizona, in business and public administration and mechanical engineering, and performed building inspections for the Veterans Administration and consulting work as an engineer before being elected to office. He also served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
Last year (fiscal year 2006-2007), more than 96,000 people visited the Kirk-Bear Canyon Branch Library. It hosted 234 Storytimes for children ages birth to preschool that were attended by almost 12,000 folks. And 151 teens and adults volunteered almost 4,000 hours at the branch.
Citation: Arizona Daily Star, 8A, October 7, 1996.
Friends of the Kirk-Bear Canyon Branch Library

We are committed to promoting the resources, services and needs of the library. Money raised is used to improve the library's services to the community, foster closer relations between the library and the community, assist in enhancing the library's environs and encourage volunteerism on behalf of the library.
The Friends of the Kirk-Bear Canyon Library Book Discussion Group discusses a different book on the last Thursday of each month. Contact Lee Wagner at 749-0570 for more information. View listing of book discussion dates and times.
Learn more about our Friends group.
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Canyon Cascades Sculpture

The Friends of the Kirk-Bear Canyon Branch Library are proud to present the Canyon Cascades sculpture.
The sculpture, by artists Selina Littler and Kathy Hoyer, was commissioned for the branch library by the Friends of the Kirk-Bear Canyon Branch Library. In the early stages of designing the sculpture, the artists asked patrons to submit one word that best embodied the spirit of the Kirk-Bear Canyon Branch Library.
The letters in those words cascade down a stylized waterfall to re-form in a small pool at the base and across the surface of several granite boulders. It is intended to be a "lighthearted beacon" representing the spirit of the library and its multi-functional purpose for the community.