Martha Cooper Library reopens with renovations after two years

After two years, Martha Cooper Library has reopened. It's located within the Garden District, in a neighborhood, making it easily accessible for families who live nearby.

Jacqueline Aguilar | KGUN 9

Branch manager Tara Foxx-Lupo says renovations were responsive to the community's needs.

Jacqueline Aguilar | KGUN 9

"We were so heavily utilized that every seat in the house was taken up," Foxx-Lupo said. "Certain unintended consequences, like noise complaints, were very frequent and the space just really wasn't keeping pace with the usage patterns in the community."

Martha Cooper Library has doubled in size, going from 6,000 sq. ft. to over 13,000 sq. ft., offering more space and resources for children and teens.

"There's schools nearby. Like Doolan, Rincon, Catalina and that means that we have a huge potential young adult population, but we have to create a place for them to be," said Foxx-Lupo.

Many people who visited the library before it closed in November 2022, like Donna Bigelow, showed up early to the reopening.

"I'm five minutes away, so it's even better because I've been hip-hopping around the one since it's been closed," said Bigelow. "I like the library, so I'm glad it's back."

Since the library is in the Garden District, they wanted to create plenty of indoor and outdoor space, including an eight-foot-tall and 12-foot-wide sculpture made by artist Jimmy Descant.

Jacqueline Aguilar | KGUN 9

"This being a Cooper's Hawk, actually I wanted to do that, named after Martha Cooper. So, the name of the piece is the Cooper's Crested Cooper, and for the library so a little play on words."

Descant said it took four years of planning, but only three months to build.

"There's a lot of steam irons in it, it has feathers and relating to the heat of the desert and the pressure—societal and art-wise," Descant said. "So, there's one big metaphor and 50 small ones throughout."

Foxx-Lupo says library programming should start in the next two weeks.

Martha Cooper Library is located at 1377 N. Catalina Ave.

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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook , Instagram or X .