Sahara West Library

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the library. We are excited to welcome back volunteers as of May 1, 2021. Please select your preferred library branch and fill out an application.

• Governance and Funding is an independent government agency and is not part of Las Vegas city government or the Clark County government.

  • Operations are overseen by a ten-member Board of Trustees, five appointed by the Clark County Commission and five appointed by the Las Vegas City Council.
  • The Board appoints the Library’s Executive Director and has the authority to make policies and approve the budget for the programs, activities and services the branches provide.
  • Regular Board of Trustees meetings are held the second Thursday of most months (except May) and are open to the public.
  • Funding is primarily from property taxes and consolidated sales tax.

  Staff

  • 342 full-time and 387 part-time staff.
  • Staff includes 112 professional librarians with MLIS degrees (Master of Library and Information Science).
  • Remaining staff are professionals and support staff in Administration, Branding & Marketing, Community Engagement, Development & Planning, Financial Services, General Services, Human Resources, Information Technology and Library Operations.

  Facilities

  • Includes 13 urban libraries, 11 outlying libraries and one outreach library.
  • Larger libraries offer meeting rooms, conference rooms, children's storyrooms, and art galleries.
  • Clark County, Summerlin, West Charleston, West Las Vegas, Whitney and Windmill Libraries have performing arts centers.

At a Glance (FY 2019-20)

• 7 million: Books and other materials checked out
• 4.3 million: Visits to the branches
• 3.6 million: Number of items in the collection – almost 20 times the number of slot machines in Las Vegas
• 1.4 million: Computer use
• 18,017: Library-sponsored and community programs
• 508,975: Children and adult program attendance
• 50,958: Volunteer hours

  Service Area

  • City of Las Vegas and most of Clark County except for North Las Vegas, Boulder City and Henderson.
  • Serves 1.7 million people over 8,000 square miles—larger than the state of Connecticut.