Temple Terrace Public Library

Temple Terrace Public Library
Established 1960
Location Temple Terrace, Florida, United States
Coordinates 28°01′58″N 82°23′29″W / 28.0329°N 82.39129°W / 28.0329; -82.39129Coordinates: 28°01′58″N 82°23′29″W / 28.0329°N 82.39129°W / 28.0329; -82.39129
Other information
Director Teressa Fraser
Website http://templeterrace.com/154/Library

The Temple Terrace Public Library serves 250,000 patrons a year with a selection of more than 100,000 volumes and 52 computers.[1] It is the only library in the city of Temple Terrace, FL, and it is part of the Hillsborough County Library Cooperative, along with branches in Tampa, Florida and Plant City, Florida, like the John F. Germany Public Library. It is located near several colleges, including the University of South Florida and Florida College, as well as the Museum of Science & Industry in Tampa.

History

The library was established on January 15, 1960 after the Temple Terrace Woman’s Club became inspired to create a community library. The local Boy Scout groups and city residents supplied the first book collection for this newly established library. Temple Terrace donated a small caddy house on the 19th tee of the city golf course to serve as the library.

The original location on the golf course.

The funding came from the Woman’s Club. Within a year, the collection and circulation had outgrown the caddy house. In April 1961, City Hall became the new location for the library. The city hall building is now a part of Florida College. The rise of library patrons and the demand for more services prompted the city to take over the library from the volunteers. The city appointed a Library Board, which made the Temple Terrace Public Library eligible to receive books from the Hillsborough County Library Service.

On September 23, 1965, construction on a new, larger library began at 202 Bullard Parkway. The funds to purchase the land and construct the new library came from local, state, and federal funds. On April 17, 1966, the library opened its doors. The Women's Club provided money for the new customer service desk due to their ongoing interest in the project[2]. In the mid 1970's, an additional 5,600 square feet were added to the existing structure to keep up with the number of patrons. The newly enlarged library was dedicated April 2, 1978. In 1998, the library was renovated and enlarged, and an online catalog and Internet access were added to the services available. Today the Temple Terrace Library has extensive resources with over 100,000 volumes and 52 patron computers. [3]

Fire

An arsonist set fire to the library in the morning of February 18, 1982. The blaze destroyed 11,666 books and 1,010 recordings within the library’s collection. However, the citizens and the Woman’s Club rallied and helped restore the library. It reopened in a temporary location, the Lightfoot Recreation Center, six weeks after the arson. Less than a year after the fire, on February 16, 1983, the new library was again open for business.[4]

Citizenship Corner

In autumn 2015, the Temple Terrace Library added a Citizenship Corner to its Bullard Parkway site, in order to assist immigrants seeking naturalization. Services include information on US history and government, learning English, and information sessions on the naturalization process. The library also offers a weekly English Practice Conversation Corner. All services offered by the library are free for patrons.[5]

Beyond Books Lending Library

In spring 2016, the Temple Terrace Public Library began lending out more than just books and DVDs. Library patrons are able to check out items like cake pans, tools, board games, sewing machines, and much more, for one week at a time. All of these items have been donated and have helped make the library feel like a resource for the community when they need or want to use an item that they may not be able to purchase.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Temple Terrace Public Library History".
  2. ↑ "Library History: Temple Terrace". Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  3. ↑ "Temple Terrace Public Library History".
  4. ↑ "Library History Roadshow".
  5. ↑ McKenzie, Joyce (28 October 2015). "Temple Terrace Library steps up to help immigrants seeking citizenship". The Tampa Tribune. TBO. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  6. ↑ Peterson, Jake (12 May 2016). "Temple Terrace Library expanding their services; "Beyond Books Lending Program"". ABC Action News. WFTS Tampa Bay. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
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