The artists' original design allowed library patrons to illuminate each disc and author by activating light switches in a box resembling an old-fashioned card catalogue. It was subsequently modified to allow patrons to see all the illuminated discs, authors and their text without having to flip the right switch. In planning the project, Krivanek and Breaux worked with the community to identify the multi-cultural writers to celebrate. Designed in the late 1960's by the renowned Arizona architect Benny Gonzales, the building, with its curved, slump block walls and interior grid of dark wooden beams is considered historically significant.  ​