EDUCATION/EXPLORATION/RECREATION

Library Telescope Program

The Concept

The Library Telescope Program places telescopes in local public libraries. As of February 2023, there are 891 libraries in 6 countries participating in the program. Its mission is to allow public access to telescopes, which can be checked out just like a book. Typically, a local astronomy club member acts as a foster parent to the scope.   The West Valley Astronomy Club has placed telescopes in the following libraries, and with more awareness this list is growing. Don’t make the mistake of buying a cheap telescope, contact your library to check out a great telescope!

Location # of ScopesAddressWebsite
Surprise Regional Library116089 N Bullard Ave, Surprise, AZ 85374website
Surprise Asante Library116755 W Vereda Solana Dr, Surprise, AZ 85387website
Peoria Public Main Library1
8463 W Monroe St, Peoria, AZ 85345website
Peoria Sunrise Mountain LibraryPending21109 N 98th Ave, Peoria, AZ 85382website
El Mirage Library113513 N El Mirage Rd, El Mirage, AZ 85335webiste
White Tank Library120304 W White Tank Mountain Rd, Waddell, AZ 85355website
Goodyear Georgia T. Lord Library31900 N Civic Sq. Goodyear, AZ 85395website

The Telescope

The Library Telescope Program provides a 4.5-inch telescope, plus support materials available for checkout. The telescope is easy to use and is robust. There is nothing to assemble. It has a wooden base, not the usual spindly tripod legs. The telescope is of manageable size, but has a relatively large optical tube. This means that the Moon and deep sky objects will show far more detail than one could see with the common “beginners” telescopes. It also has a large field of view that allows the object to stay in the eyepiece longer. This is a quality instrument, reviewed by a number of astronomical publications and found quite worthy.

West Valley – Phoenix Metropolitan Area

In November 2022 and February 2023 the West Valley Astronomy Club purchased and donated telescopes to the Surprise and Peoria main libraries. This launched the program in these two communities.

Launching a Library Telescope Program

More information about starting a program is available at The Library Telescope Program website

Contact the West Valley Astronomy Club if you would like your library to participate in the Library Telescope Program.

Surprise Asante Library received their first telescope on April 25, 2023: (Left to Right): Kathryn Smithyman, City Librarian for Surprise, Bambi Shelby, Branch Manager for Asante Library, John Hiatt West Valley Astronomy Club Secretary and Outreach Coordinator, Bob Randle West Valley Astronomy Club President
What is the Purpose of the Library Telescope Program?
My thoughts go back over the past 10 years or so…
When helping at an observatory in Colorado, and then with star parties here in Arizona, I often get this question…
My child is really into (space/astronomy/science) – what’s the best telescope to buy to encourage this interest?
And often the parent is interested as well.
My stock answer was “there is no perfect telescope”.
Or, I might say that the “best telescope is the one that gets used”.
Then I might ask a few questions and suggest something like a 6″ dob.
But I was never really happy with that answer.
And I could tell from the deer in the headlights expressions that it was confusing for most parents.
Then they might ask “how much does that cost?”
I never really had a good answer, but warned them not to buy a cheap one that would end up in a closet.
That they understood!
This started to bother me, especially when meeting parents that might not be able to afford even a modest telescope.
Then I heard about and started thinking about the Library Telescope Program.
The light bulb went off, and for me the Library Telescope was the answer to that question.
Now I answer that the best telescope for a child and family that is into space/astronomy/science
is the one you can check out for FREE at your public library.
Parents are very happy with that answer – and all are delighted to find out that such a wonderful thing exists!
For me, this is the purpose of the library telescope program.
To help families get a good beginners telescope to learn and explore with at home, without having to buy one.
John Hiatt – West Valley Astronomy Club Outreach

Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)

Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)

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Scout Pack 436 Astronomy Outreach Event

Scout Pack 436 Astronomy Outreach Event – November 30th, 2021

99 attendees (60 children and 39 adults) + our 8 volunteers

Set up at 5:30 pm – finished at 8:00 pm

WVAC Volunteers Present: Bob Randle, Bob and Carolyn Colvert, Larry Matney, Luke Edens, Carolyn Hoolhorst, and John and Deb Hiatt

Event description: The Club hosted a star party for Scout Pack 436 (ages from Kindergarten to 5th grade) from6:30 to 7:30 pm . It was dark and it was a little hard to count participation, the count of 99 was conservative.

The Scouts seemed very enthusiastic and enjoyed the experience, and so did their parents! For many it was their first look through a telescope. Primary objects were Venus, Saturn and Jupiter, plus a few dark sky objects via Bob Colvert’s digital camera setup.

Volunteer activity: drive to the site and set up telescopes and associated equipment at the Arizona Model Railroading Society. The site was located on the Society’s property at 23280 N 43rd Ave, Glendale, AZ 85310. Light pollution, noise and dust were a problem at this site. However, that did not detract from the Scouts’ enjoyment of the event.

Surprise Sci-Tech Festival 2021

November 6th  Surprise Sci-Tech Festival

Surprise SciTech Festival – November 6th, 2021
95 attendees + our 3 volunteers = 20 volunteer hours (including drive time)
Set up at 8:00 am – finished at 1:30 pm
WVAC Volunteers Present: John Cline, Larry Matney and John Hiatt
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Event description: The City of Surprise celebrates STEAM efforts in the community by holding an
annual SciTech Festival. This free educational event featured interactive science, technology,
engineering, art and math exhibits and demonstrations. Technology and the daily interactions with it
continue to grow. Surprise embraces these new trends and the businesses that create new products
and services.
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Volunteer activity: set up the table provided by the City of Surprise with educational materials, cards
with the Club’s website and contact information, and a small Celestron Telescope. We told visitors
about the West Valley Astronomy Club, and asked them about their interest in astronomy. When
appropriate we told visitors about our monthly meetings and star parties. The small telescope was
used to demonstrate the surprising clarity and magnification (15x) provided by a small entry level
instrument. A small security camera on the parking garage a few hundred yards away was selected for
observation. Children (and adults) were encouraged to learn how to focus the telescope to see clearly.

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