History

The John F. Prince Library Media Center (LMC), located on the main campus of Glendale Community College, is the heart of the GCC library system with the majority of the collections, GCC librarians and service personnel.

The library, or Instructional Materials Center (I.M.C.) as it was originally known, was one of the initial buildings when the college located to its present site at 59th and Olive avenues in 1966. William T. Sickrey served as the first I.M.C. director.

The I.M.C. included classrooms, an audio-visual studio, and the library collection of approximately 24,000 volumes and more than 360 periodical subscriptions. Campus photocopy and tutoring services also operated from the library at various times.

On May 24, 1977, with motions 3498 and 3499, the MCCCD Governing Board, officially named the I.M.C. after John F. Prince (pictured above) in recognition of the his contributions to Glendale and the Community College District. Dr. Prince was the first president of GCC (termed "executive dean" at that time). Later, he became president of the Maricopa District.

Historic photos of the GCC Library and personnel are available in the GCC Archives of the Arizona Memory Project.

Building Highlights

The original building has undergone several renovations to improve services and enlarge space for both a growing student body and collection. The last renovation project occurred in 1999-2000 when the interior of the facility was completely demolished. Only the exterior walls and interior support pillars remained.

The "new" building currently holds more than 85,000 volumes distributed comfortably across 40,000 square feet. Architectural highlights include a skylight above the computer commons, an open patio for studying in comfortable weather, museum lighting for the GCC art collection, and an audio-visual production area.

The west entrance features a nine-foot Arcosanti windbell sculpture by Paolo Soleri. This sculpture is representative of the extensive art collection of over 500 pieces of art on display at the LMC. Listening wands for touring the art are available to enrich your understanding.

Collections

The Library has a large collection of circulating materials -- including books and videos -- as well as reference materials and reserves for in-library use. 

Many collections are available including the Pro/Con (Contemporary Issues) collection to assist student with various assignments that tackle current social topics, the Juvenile collection featuring children’s books for all ages, the Leisure Reading Collection, and more.

The Library at the main campus holds two special collections unique within the GCC library system: the Literacy Collection and the GCC archives.

Subscription databases are available to all users at the library and to GCC employees and students via the Library website.

Other Services and Facilities

The Library at GCC's main campus features an array of facilities and services -- many of which are also available at GCC North. See GCC Library and Media Services homepage for details.