New Tampa Regional Library | |
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General information | |
Location | Tampa, Florida |
Address | 10001 Cross Creek Blvd. |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 28°08′28″N82°19′41″W / 28.141130°N 82.328071°W Coordinates: 28°08′28″N82°19′41″W / 28.141130°N 82.328071°W , |
Opened | 1997 |
Website | |
http://www.hcplc.org/hcplc/locations/ntr/ |
The New Tampa Regional Library is a 25,000 square foot public library located in the Hunter's Green area in north central Hillsborough County, Florida. It is a single-story building and the 19th facility in the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System. [1] New Tampa Regional Library is located directly between Hunter's Green Elementary School and Benito Middle School. [2] [3]
The New Tampa Regional Library was dedicated on May 4, 1997. It was built in response to growing population in the area that had put strain on the smaller nearby Thonotosassa and Lutz branches of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Library System and serves the communities of Pebble Creek, Tampa Palms, and New Tampa. With a budget of $4.4 million, the New Tampa Regional Library was designed by Harvard Jolly Clees Toppe Architects, funded by a .10-mill property tax levy, and built on 3.6 acres donated by Markborough Florida Inc. It opened with 100,000 volumes, five meeting rooms, and two hundred parking spaces. [4]
In addition to books, DVDs, and audio CDs, the New Tampa Regional Library also offers meeting rooms, a large community room, public use internet computers, access to electronic databases and eBooks, an all-ages maker space called "The Hive," literacy tutors, and a used book store. [5] As with all libraries in the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library system, the New Tampa Regional Library also offers printers, photocopiers, scanners, public fax service, free wi-fi, and assistive technology. [6] In 2017, New Tampa Regional Library improved their circulation area and renovated their children's area to better serve their patrons. The Neighborhood News December 11, 2017 announced the construction of the current glass wall enclosing the children's area, which was designed to provide a safe learning environment where, according to principal librarian Wendy Prasad, kids can "be kids a little more." [7] The announcement also indicated that the enclosed children's area would bring in “Grandma Claire’s Early Learning Hive”—a dedicated kid's early learning hive promoting a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) concept for early literacy utilizing LEGOs, word matching, letters, sensory toys and manipulatives. The Neighborhood News announcement also noted that the kid's early learning hive would be named for New Tampa resident Claire Unnasch who gave a $25,000 donation to enrich the children’s area before her death in 2016. [7] In 2019 the library became one of four branches that accepts U.S. Passport applications. Customers may make an appointment by calling the library. Links to the U.S. Department of State and pertinent information regarding applications can be found on the HCPLC website.
The Friends of the New Tampa Regional Library worked hard to get community support in order to build the library. Jeri Zelinski, a retired librarian who moved to New Tampa in 1990, [8] was the founding president of the friends group and was an advocate who led petition drives and worked with developers to donate the land for the library. Following her death in 2002, on September 25, 2004, the Jeri Zelinski Community Room was posthumously dedicated in honor of her efforts in bringing a library to the New Tampa area. According to a Tampa Bay Online report from September 19, 2008, further efforts had been underway to honor Jeri Zelinski through an unprecedented campaign to rename the library after her, but these efforts were complicated by the New Tampa Community Council's previous desire to honor Carol Poland, a civically active New Tampa resident who dedicated herself to improving Hunter's Green through many community and volunteer initiatives. [9]
Currently, the Friends of the New Tampa Regional Library provide support for the library through the Friends-operated bookstore known as the Book Nook. Proceeds from book sales are used to fund programs for children, teens and adults and to support other library activities. [5]
The library contains several pieces of art provided through Hillsborough County’s Public Art Program. The exterior of the library has a ceramic tile ribbon walkway, Alphawalk, by Claire Jeanine Satin. In 2014, the library began to display The Key Tree by Rob Woods on its back patio. This piece is a 14-branch tree that has 1880 leaves made from keys collected by students from Tampa Palms Elementary School. Other rotating artwork within the library includes Spirit Ladder by Celeste Simon,From the Shadows and Cascading by Martha Brooks Marshall, Gift Bearers by John Whipple, and Trojan Battle Plan by George Pappas. [10]
Hillsborough County is located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. In the 2020 census, the population was 1,459,762, making it the fourth-most populous county in Florida and the most populous county outside the Miami metropolitan area. A 2021 estimate has the population of Hillsborough County at 1,512,070 people with a yearly growth rate of 1.34%, which itself is greater than the populations of 12 states according to their 2019 population estimates. Its county seat and largest city is Tampa. Hillsborough County is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area.
New Tampa is a region in Florida that encompasses both a 24-square-mile (62 km2) area within the corporate limits of the City of Tampa, as well as a larger land area that is in unincorporated Hillsborough, but retains a Tampa mailing address. The incorporated portion of "New Tampa" that lies within the city limits of Tampa is one of the largest city neighborhoods. The population has grown rapidly since being annexed by the city of Tampa in 1988. As of the 2000 census, the district had a population of 22,466. Many new master planned residential communities are planned or already under construction. Big-box stores are following the boom in population and are transforming this once rural area.
For other Carnegie Libraries, see Carnegie library (disambiguation)
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The Tampa–Hillsborough County Public Library System (THPL) is a public library system based in Hillsborough County, Florida. THPL is part of two larger library networks, the Tampa Bay Library Consortium, and the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative which includes Temple Terrace Public Library in Temple Terrace, Florida, and Bruton Memorial Library in Plant City, Florida. There are 25 branches of the Tampa–Hillsborough County Library System, not including digital-only and mobile-only services. Services provided by the THPL include internet access, public meeting room spaces, interlibrary loans, a Bookmobile, a Cybermobile for Spanish speakers, technology classes, adult literacy programs, and downloadable eBooks. Drive-thru windows for returns and hold pick-ups are located at the Jimmie B. Keel and the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Libraries. In 2017, THPL introduced the new HAAL Pass, which gives access to certain library resources to all students in the Hillsborough County Public Schools System. Students use their student ID number to use different online databases, borrow up to three physical items and read eBooks. The Tampa–Hillsborough County Public Library System is also a part of Hillsborough County government. On January 1, 2018 the library cooperative became one of the largest in the country to go fine free. Overdue fees for borrowed materials were eliminated with the implementation of the "Just Bring It Back" initiative. In 2019 the cooperative received the FLA Library of the Year Award. Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library was recognized for its community focused initiatives when it "reorganized its staffing model and eliminated overdue fines, yielding $1 million in savings while increasing access to library resources and expanding opportunities for community engagement through unique, scalable programs.
For other Carnegie Libraries, see Carnegie library (disambiguation)
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The C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library, formerly known as the College Hill Branch Library, is in Tampa, Florida. The 8,500 sq. foot facility was renamed in 2011 for Florida Sentinel Bulletin owner and publisher C. Blythe Andrews. The library is located at 2607 E. Dr. MLK Jr. Blvd. It is part of the Tampa–Hillsborough County Public Library System (THPL), as well as a member of the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative (HCPLC).
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