Port Tampa City Library History Roadshow

Right click on the image below to save a copy of the Port Tampa Library History Roadshow flier. Save the date and bring your library memories!

Hyde Park Branch Library

On Saturday, November 19, the Library History Roadshow made a stop at the Old Hyde Park Art Center. This historic building was home to the Hyde Park Branch Library from 1922-1968. We were very lucky to receive the old library sign from North Tampa Library volunteer Debbie Wooten, whose mother used to work on the bookmobile. Click on the slideshow below to see scenes from the Roadshow and to listen to Debbie's recorded memory about how she acquired this sign.

Library Aide Bunny Pearce shares her memories of Hyde Park Library in this video:


The Library History Roadshow will be stopping at branches throughout the system to find more library treasures like this sign. Our next Roadshow will be at Port Tampa City Library on Saturday, January 14, from 10am-3pm.

Coming Soon: South Tampa Library History Roadshows

On Saturday, November 19, the Library History Roadshow will make a stop at the Old Hyde Park Art Center, located at 705 Swann Avenue. This building was home to the Hyde Park Branch Library from 1922-1968.



Then on Saturday, January 14, the Roadshow will visit the Port Tampa City Library at 4902 W. Commerce Street. You may be familiar with this historic building, which has been used as a library since 1998.


Going back a little further, this is a photo of the old Port Tampa Library, which became part of the public library system in 1961.


If you remember going to library in Hyde Park or Port Tampa, save the date for these upcoming Library History Roadshow programs where you will be able to share your artifacts, photographs and memories.

Video from the 9/24 Library History Roadshow

Check out this great HTV video from our most recent Library History Roadshow on 9/24.

Photos from the Library History Roadshow on 9/24/2011

Check out this slideshow featuring photos from our latest Library History Roadshow, which focused on the 7th Avenue Carnegie Library.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Library History Roadshow - September 24, 2011

Tampa Free Public Library

Before the John F. Germany Library was built, Tampa's main library was located at 102 East Seventh Avenue. Known as the Tampa Free Public Library, this building was also often referred to as the Carnegie Library on Seventh Avenue. Like the West Tampa Library, the library was funded by a grant from Andrew Carnegie and has the formal architectural style found in many Carnegie libraries: pillars and a staircase leading to a prominent entrance.



From 1917 until 1968, when the John F. Germany Library opened, many people visited the Tampa Free Public Library on Seventh Avenue. As shown in this photo, it was a popular place.



Check out more photos and read about the history of the library here.

The Tampa Free Public Library is the focus of the next Library History Roadshow. If you remember going to this library, come share your stories and library memorabilia on Saturday, September 24, from 10am-3pm. Since the building now contains City of Tampa offices, the roadshow will be held in the John F. Germany Library's auditorium.

Judge E.J. Salcines @ West Tampa Library History Roadshow

On Saturday, 6/4, the Library History Roadshow made its second stop at the historic West Tampa Library. People came in throughout the day with their library stories and items, such as this newspaper article from 1901 about a fire that destroyed the cigar factory that was previously on the same land as the West Tampa Library:

This time the Library History Roadshow featured a speaker, the Honorable E.J. Salcines, who gave an outstanding presentation about the history of the West Tampa Library. He described the opening day ceremony that took place on June 1, 1914. He also brought books that were used by the lectors in Ybor City, as well as many visual aids relating to the library’s history. At the end of his talk, Joe Stines presented him with a book called The Libraries We Love, which also features the West Tampa Library.

It was an incredible day of sharing library history and celebrating West Tampa’s heritage.

Check Out the Roadshow on June 4th

The Library History Roadshow will be making its second stop at the historic West Tampa Library on Saturday June 4th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Current and former users of the library are invited to bring their photos, memorabilia, artifacts, and stories of the West Tampa Library to share.



This time the event will feature a special guest. The Honorable EJ Salcines, a retired judge and notable West Tampa resident, will be speaking about West Tampa and its library at 1 p.m.

Bring your own library history memorabilia and stories to share. Prizes will be given for the oldest library items brought to the event. Stay tuned for more details!

What is the Library History Roadshow?

The Library History Roadshow is a program designed to bring people to their local public library to share and preserve library memories.

Bringing old library photos, fliers, library cards and other library objects to the Library History Roadshow is highly encouraged. Items will be scanned and added to the library's digital archive.

If you do not have anything to bring, but do have library memories and stories to share, they can be digitally recorded and added to the archive.

At our very first Library History Roadshow on Saturday, April 16, Myrna Shuman and Brenda Staton of the Ada T. Payne Friends of the Urban Libraries brought in their library mementos, such as the ones below.





Bring your library memories to our next Library History Roadshow on Saturday, June 4th.

The Library History Roadshow Kicks Off at West Tampa Branch Library on April 16th!

Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library will begin celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2014 and is looking to make a digital history of the local community’s photographs, memorabilia and stories.

Over the next few years, the Library History Roadshow will be making stops at branches throughout Hillsborough County -- the first one is at the West Tampa Branch Library on Saturday, April 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and current and former users of the library are invited to bring their photos, memorabilia, artifacts, and stories of the West Tampa Branch Library to share.

The historic West Tampa Branch Library, located at 2312 W. Union St. in Tampa, is Hillsborough County’s first library, and one of 11 libraries in Florida funded by grants from the Carnegie Corporation.

Library History Roadshow staff will scan items residents bring and attendees will have an opportunity to record, as a video or audio, a brief story about their library experiences or photos or memorabilia.

In addition, the Library History Roadshow will include information on the preservation of historical items and an exhibit of Burgert Brothers photographs of West Tampa.

The Library History Roadshow is a county-wide program of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Library System in partnership with the Tampa Bay History Center. The program is free and open to the public.