Next Stop: North Tampa Branch Library, 10/19

North Tampa Branch Library 

8916 North Blvd.

Tampa, FL 33604

October 19, 2013

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

With special guest speaker Commissioner Ken Hagan at 11:30 a.m. 

Join us to hear Commissioner Ken Hagan speak about growing up in North Tampa being part of the legacy of Hillsborough County Public Libraries, from being a student to his current role as a County Commissioner. The event will be held in the community room and is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. 

Overview of the library's history


Library service in North Tampa began with the bookmobile making stops in the neighborhoods of Sulphur Springs, Golfview and Forest Hills.  In 1960, the Chamberlain High School PTA spearheaded the drive for a permanent library in North Tampa, with their petition that included hundreds of signatures, submitted to the Mayor and the Tampa City Council.  After much deliberation between neighborhood civic groups, the City Council and the Planning Commission, it was decided that the location of the new North Tampa Branch Library would be built across the street from Chamberlain High.  The North Tampa Branch Library opened on January 13, 1964 in a 3,500 square-foot building. 

As Tampa's population exploded, this neighborhood library quickly outgrew its space.  The library building was expanded twice; to 7,000 square feet in 1967 and again to 10,500 square feet in 1977.   

Do you remember the previous library buildings? 

On August 14, 2008 a groundbreaking was held for the construction of a 24,000 square-foot modern library building, which opened on September 18, 2009 at the same location. 

This most recent building includes a large community room, children's room, teen room, quiet study room, computer lab, as well as additional meeting rooms. 


Do you have memories, photos or memorabilia of the North Tampa Branch? 

The Library History Roadshow team will be at the North Tampa Branch to digitize your library memories for our archive on October 19, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.   

Record a video or oral memory...Or bring in your photos or memorabilia and we will scan and return them to you while you wait.

Join us as we gather the library's history! 

Celebrating the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library...

On September 14th, the Library History Roadshow visited the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library.  With the help of the Friends of the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library and Jan Platt, who contributed her collection of the library's photos and newspaper clippings, we were successful in capturing some of the library's history. 

Some of the notable events rehashed were Jan Platt's legislation that created our modern library system (1984), the groundbreaking (11/30/1999) and dedication (12/11/2000) ceremonies of the library, the opening of the Bookends Cafe (2004), and Jan's personal background on much of the art decorating the library.

Enjoy some images from the day...

As patrons recalled their experiences using the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library's services and materials, we recorded their memories.  Some included anecdotes about some of the older libraries (like the Peninsular Branch, the West Tampa Branch, and the Hyde Park Branch) while others gave personal insight in the Hillsborough County library experience. 

Bonnie Nicotra shares how important the neighborhood library is and how the community benefits from library's programming. 

Emilio Toro earnestly expresses how much his local public library has enhanced his quality of life since moving to Tampa. [1:45]

 

Fran Pasetti is passionate about her local regional library [ :49]

.

Ricky Rodriguez remembers when he was young, visiting his brother who worked for at the West Tampa Library. [1:11]

Lillie Deans, a self-proclaimed 'sci-fi nerd', talks about going to the Hyde Park Branch as a child and the kinds of books she loves to read. [1:46]

Cathy Teti talks about creation of the Friends of the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library, why she became involved, and how the club augments the library's programming for the community. [4:19]

Thanks to everyone who came out and shared their library memories. Join us for the next roadshow at the North Tampa Branch on October 19!

Next up: Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library, 9/14/2013

Celebrating...

Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library

3910 S. Manhattan Ave.

Tampa, FL 33611-1214

September 14, 2013 

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

About the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library

Jan Kaminis Platt

The Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library was dedicated and opened to the public on December 11, 2000. This 25,000 square foot regional library is the 22nd branch in the county's library system and serves the South Tampa community seven days a week. The facility is named in honor of Jan Kaminis Platt, who has served the community for over 20 years as a member of the Tampa City Council and as a Hillsborough County Commissioner. A fervent advocate for libraries, she was named to the American Library Association's "Freedom to Read Honor Roll" and received the "Best Friend of the Year" award from the Friends of the Library of Hillsborough County, Inc. in 1999. For 13 years this library housed and operated the county's Talking Book Library.

About the Talking Book Library

Groundbreaking ceremony, Tampa Tribune, December 8, 1999

The Hillsborough County Talking Book Library is a sub-regional library of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. This free program provides recorded and braille books and magazines to people who are blind, visually impaired or physically handicapped. Hillsborough County’s Talking Book Library began in 1972 and its collection was located in the system’s main library in downtown Tampa, now called the John F. Germany Public Library. In December of 2000, it was moved to the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library when it opened and remained there until 2013 when it relocated to the building next door, the library system’s Technical Services Center. 

We invite all Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library and Talking Books Library patrons, past and present, to join us at this Library History Roadshow. 

• Did you ever attend a special program, story time or a computer class at the library? 
• Have you had a positive experience with library staff?
• Have you ever found information at the library that improved your quality of life? 
• Did you ever use bookmobile service before the library was constructed? 

Come and share your library memories and memorabilia and help us as we gather and digitize this historic information for the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library archival collection. 

Even if you are new to the area and have only just begun to use the library, we want to hear from you!  For more information about Library History Roadshow events, please call: 813-273-3652.



7/20/2013: Seffner-Mango Branch Library

On July 20th, the Library History Roadshow visited the Seffner-Mango Branch Library. Despite the rain, both images and memories of the library were captured through interviews with local library patrons.

Jack Bishoff was happy to share his experiences of the Seffner-Mango Branch Library with us. He believes in taking advantage of all that the library has to offer and has made great use of some of the library's genealogy databases. Through HeritageQuest and Ancestry (Library Edition) he has found some very interesting information about his ancestors: 

Laura Barnes, shared her enthusiasm for her local library and recalls when the Seffner-Mango Branch opened in her neighborhood several years ago. 

Thank you to everyone who braved a rainy Saturday to come out to share memories for this edition of the Library History Roadshow and thank you also to the Seffner-Mango Branch Library staff for hosting -- we had a great time and enjoyed meeting all of you! 

The next roadshow will take place September 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Public Library. 

Though it's a long way off, preparations are well underway for our library system's Centennial Celebration! Please mark your calendars for our large kick-off event taking place New Year's Day, January 1, 2013 at the West Tampa Branch Library!

July 20: Seffner-Mango Branch Library History Roadshow



Seffner-Mango Branch, 2009, 410 N, Kingsway Rd., Seffner, FL

  CELEBRATING...

Seffner-Mango Branch Library

July 20, 2013

10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

410 N. Kingsway Rd.
Seffner, FL 33584-3602

A look back... 

 

East Gate Branch, ca. 1980, 2311. Hillsborough Ave.

The Seffner-Mango Branch Library came into being during an evolution of library services in East Tampa neighborhoods.  On November 5th, 1978, Library Director Leo Meirose replaced bookmobile service at the East Gate Shopping Center with the establishment of the East Gate Branch Library at 2311 E. Hillsborough Avenue.  It was strategically positioned near the corner of N. 22nd Street in a highly visible, commercial zone to better serve the East Tampa/College Hill neighborhoods.  After 8 years at this location, the lease was not renewed due to a change in landlords who instead desired a retail business in that location.  The branch closed on December 31, 1985. 

Although it took a few years, under the guidance the newly appointed Director of Libraries, John M. Adams, the library reemerged as the Eastlake Branch Library, located further east at 5701 E. Hillsborough Avenue and 56th Ave. on the lower level of the Eastlake Square Mall. The library opened April 25th and was dedicated April 29, 1988.

Eastlake Branch, ca. 1989, Eastlake Sq. Mall

The branch remained there nearly 10 years before the mall's traffic began to wane due to the rising popularity of the nearby Brandon Town Center. Library circulation dwindled significantly and the branch was forced to close on May 11, 1998. 

By this time, residential development in the Seffner-Mango area had increased significantly, and its community clamored for a library to replace traditional bookmobile service to the area.  

Seffner-Mango Branch Library, ca. 1999



With the closing of the Eastlake Branch Library in 1998 and the opening of the College Hill Branch Library in 1993, (renamed the C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library in 2010), the opportunity and need for a branch in the Seffner area of the county arose. On December 28th, 1998, the first Seffner-Mango Branch Library opened in a storefront location within the Mango Shopping Center at 11724 E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. This library was dedicated on March 6, 1999 and operated for 10 years until a new, stand-alone building was constructed and dedicated on January 15, 2009 at 410. Kingsway Rd in Seffner.

Do you have a library memory to share?



Did you ever attend a special program, story time or a computer class at the library? Have you had a positive experience with library staff or accessed information at the library that improved your quality of life? Did you ever use bookmobile service before the library was constructed? Even if you are new to the area and have only just begun to use the library, we want to hear from you!

We invite all Seffner-Mango Branch Library patrons, past and present, to join us at our next Library History Roadshow. Come and share their library memories and memorabilia and help us as we gather and digitize this historic information for the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library archival collection. For more information about Library History Roadshow events please call: 813-273-3652.

SAVE THE DATE! 

January 1, 2014, kicks off the Centennial Celebration of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System at the West Tampa Branch Library.



Library History Roadshow Visits Thonotosassa Branch Library



Thonotosassa Branch Library, 2013, 10715 Main St.

The Thonotosassa Branch Library is a special place. It was dedicated in 1989 after more than seven years of arduous efforts and patience by its community who demanded that Thonotosassa have its own library.  Well worth a trip down Main Street, the library is an excellent place to experience the tranquility of the area. After attending one of the many different programs offered at the library, the adjacent park is an excellent place for a picnic or to read your latest checked-out book.

Thonotosassa's community is very proud of its historical roots. On June 22nd, the Library History Roadshow team collected the branch's historical files for the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library's Florida History & Genealogy Collection, digitized its collection of Tampa Tribune newspaper clippings for inclusion in the library history archive, and recorded this interview about the library's beginnings with long-time Thonotosassa resident and library staff member, Ron Smith.

Many thanks to library branch manager Annamae Trypus and her staff, Ron Smith and Marti Marshall for their hospitality during our visit.

Thonotosassa Branch Library Seeks Revival of Friends Group

Although the Thonotosassa Branch Library's beginning in 1982 was spearheaded with strong support of the community's Friends of the Library group, the group's activities have waned over the years. The Thonotosassa Branch Library seeks members within their community who desire to strengthen the services and programs that the library offers by re-assembling a Friends of the Thonotosassa Branch Library organization. Participants should share a passionate commitment for a strong library system and would work together to help strengthen library collections and program offerings. Those interested in helping to construct a group to support their community library should contact the Friends of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library, Inc. at 813-273-3616.

Mark your calendars for these up-coming events: 

• The next roadshow will be July 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Seffner-Mango Branch Library.
• The Centennial Celebration of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System will take place January 1st, 2013 at the West Tampa Branch Library!

Come to the Thonotosassa Library History Roadshow!



Thonotosassa Branch circa 1990



CELEBRATING...

Thonotosassa Branch Library

June 22, 2013

10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

10715 Main St.
Thonotosassa, FL 33592-2831

A look back... 

After years of library service from the bookmobile, the Thonotosassa Branch Library opened in July 1989, serving the Thonotosassa community and surrounding areas in northeastern Hillsborough County. 

  


Tampa Tribune photo of construction, 1988

This 8,000 square-foot library facility was the sixteenth branch of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System, created with the close collaboration of the Friends of the Thonotosassa Library*, the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library Board, the Board of County Commissioners and Hillsborough County staff. 

It was constructed, furnished and stocked with funding provided by the U.S. Government's Community Development Block Grant program and designed by the architectural firm Fletcher, Valenti & Chillura, Inc. 

Since its opening 24 years ago then it has served patrons living in this rural section of Hillsborough County with convenient access to books, magazines, DVDs, music and recorded books for all ages and interests. It also provides Internet access and a regular schedule of programs, including Story Time for preschoolers, a summer reading program for school-age children, after school homework help for students and computer classes for all ages. 

Do you have a library memory to share?

Tampa Tribune photo, 1989

Did you ever attend a special program, story time or a computer classes at the library? Have you had a positive experience with library staff or accessed information at the library that improved your quality of life? Did you ever use bookmobile service before the library was constructed? Even if you are new to the area and have just started using the library, we want to hear from  you!

We invite Thonotosassa Branch Library patrons, past and present, to come and share their library memories and memorabilia so that we may digitize them for the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library archival collection. For more information about Library History Roadshow events call: 813-273-3652.

* There currently is no Friends of the Library chapter for the Thonotosassa Branch Library. Anyone interested in helping start a group to support the branch should contact the Friends of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library, Inc. at 273-3616.