Pima County Public Library to Bid Farewell to CDs Next Year

The Pima County Public Library is set to phase out CDs starting January 2, 2025, aligning with the decline of outdated media formats like VHS and cassette tapes.

According to library officials, 51 percent of the CD collection has remained unused over the past year, highlighting a shift in how patrons consume music. Victoria Salajko, the library’s collection development manager, noted that new CDs have not been added to the collection in a decade, which has contributed to the deterioration of existing titles.

The decision to withdraw CDs from circulation came after discussions with branch managers, who expressed a need for more shelf space for popular materials. Salajko revealed, “That clued us in to take a deeper look at what was going on with our circulation numbers.”

Unused CDs will not be discarded; instead, they will be donated to the Picture Rocks Community Center, ensuring community access without the risk of waste. “We thought that’d be a good way to still keep those items out in the community without throwing them out or selling them,” Salajko added.

The library has focused on creating a local music collection featuring works by Tucson artists, which continues to thrive despite the downturn in physical media. Specific locations, such as Valencia Library and Nanini Library, will still offer CDs from this local music collection.

Alongside traditional media, the library has embraced digital options. Desert Streams, a free collection featuring Tucson musicians, exemplifies this transition. Other services like Classica, Freegal, Hoopla, and Qello provide various streaming options for library patrons.

The music industry has seen drastic changes, with CD sales plummeting 96 percent since 2000. Currently, paid streaming platforms dominate, accounting for over half of the industry’s revenue.

As of last month, the library reported that its circulation is now evenly split between digital and physical materials. This shift comes during a period of staffing challenges for the library system, which is considering closing several branches in the coming years due to these constraints.