Irene H. Ruiz Biblioteca de las Americas features a wide variety of materials in Spanish: books, magazines, fotonovelas, CDs, and DVDs. The library has unique bibliographic and audiovisual resources related to Latin American culture in Spanish and English. Regular staff members are bilingual.
At this branch
- Computers: 13 for adults, 4 for kids, & 2 laptops
- Wireless: All branches have free Wi-Fi wireless Internet access.
- Meeting Rooms: 1 room
- Seed Library
- Passport Services
Teens can come and play video games and board games every third Friday at Ruiz! Enjoy pizza, Minecraft challenges, board game tournaments, Wii games, and more.
This event is after Library hours and requires prior parent permission to attend. Permission slips are available at the Ruiz desk or in the Ruiz teen area.
Seed Library at the Ruiz Branch
The Seed Library offers patrons FREE flower and vegetable seeds, as well as other resources to guide gardeners of all skill levels. Learn more »
Passport Services
U.S. Passport application services are available at the Ruiz Branch. No appointment necessary—services are offered during regular business hours. Passport service ends one hour before closing time.
There are required documents to bring and other steps to review before your visit. A checklist of materials and details can be found on the Passport Services page.
Branch History
The history of the Irene H. Ruiz Biblioteca de las Americas goes back to 1911 when the public school and public library created the Switzer Branch Library. In 1926 when West Junior High School opened, Switzer Branch moved and was named West Branch Library. In 1986 the school district and the library system separated, and two years later the West Branch was relocated to 901 Southwest Boulevard. In 1995 the West Branch was moved once again, to 525 Southwest Boulevard and on September 15, 2001 reopened at it's current location at 2017 West Pennway and was renamed the Irene H. Ruiz Biblioteca de las Americas in honor of Irene Ruiz, a former librarian.