The North Greenwood Library is a public library in the North Greenwood neighborhood of Clearwater, Florida. It is part of the Clearwater Library System which, in turn, is part of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative. Located at 905 N Martin Luther King Jr. Ave, its current Branch Manager is Christa Smith.
The North Greenwood Library's patrons can check out a variety of materials including books, magazines, DVDs, Blu-rays, video games, and a ukulele kit. There is a computer lab with free internet access and free Wi-Fi throughout the library. For non library members, there are two 15 minute express computers. The library offers paid copy and scanning services. It does not have a fax machine. The library has one community room that is used for programs and can be reserved through the online calendar. The newly renovated children's area has Lego tables and coloring areas as well as coloring materials. There is a high definition television that kids can use to watch G or PG rated DVDs and Blu-rays with librarian permission. Also with librarian permission, children are allowed to use a video game console to play video games using the television. All books are free to be read inside the library without needing to be checked out. With a library card issued from North Greenwood and other Clearwater Libraries, patrons have access to online applications and materials such as Libby (service), Pronunciator, Zinio, 3M, and Hoopla.
During the 1940s, the black community felt that they should have a library for their children and the future generations. The City Commission agreed to fund a library as long as the community found a building and librarian willing to work there. The library, simply referred to as the "Negro Library", first opened on March 15, 1950 on the corner of Pennsylvania and Cedar Street in a rented building space. Christine Wigfall Morris was the librarian who first opened the doors of the library and was the first black Librarian to work in Clearwater, Fl. [1]
The library, loved by both the community and "Miss Chris", outgrew its rented space so a building was officially built for the collection on Palmetto street. The new building, named the Northeast Library and designed by Eugene Beach, was meant to be run by a single librarian— Christine Morris. It opened in September, 1962 with a collection of 15,000 books. Christine Morris worked tirelessly to keep the library open acting as not only a librarian, but also janitor and community counselor. [2] [3] It was not until 1983, after Morris' retirement, that the library received its current name of North Greenwood Library.
In 1970 the "Edward Allen Henry Jr. Special Collection on Negro Culture and History" was added to the library. In 2002 the special collection's name was changed to "The Christine Wigfall Morris African American Collection" in honor of her decades of work and dedication to the library and the community. In an interview, Christine Morris commented that the community believed the whole library should be named in her honor but the city said she would have to be deceased in order for it to be allowed. She preferred to be alive and see the collection named after herself than to be dead and not see the whole building named. [4] [5]
North Greenwood's current location at the corner of N. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave and Palmetto St was built in 2002. Its grand opening was January 18, 2003. [6]
2009 proved to be a worrisome year for North Greenwood Library, as well as East Library, as budget cuts threatened to close the facility and move the collection to a space inside the North Greenwood Recreation center. In protest of closing the library, the NAACP and local ministers staged marches to save the library. [7] After two months of debate, protests, and voting, it was decided that taxes would be raised and the libraries would stay open but with reduced hours. While many people disagreed with the tax increase, one counsel member remarked how surprised she was that so many of her constituents were willing to accept the tax increase if it meant the libraries stayed open. [8]
Pinellas County is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 959,107, which makes it the seventh-most populous county in the state. It is also the most densely populated county in Florida, with 3,491 residents per square mile. The county is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area. Clearwater is the county seat. St. Petersburg is the largest city in the county, as well as the largest city in Florida that is not a county seat.
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the state that is not a county seat. It is the second-most populous city in the Tampa Bay area, which is the second-largest metropolitan area in Florida with a population of around 2.8 million.
Clearwater is a city and the county seat of Pinellas County, Florida, United States, west of Tampa and north of St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 117,292. It is the smallest of the three principal cities in the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater metropolitan area, most commonly referred to as the Tampa Bay area.
Dunedin is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The name comes from Dùn Èideann, the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Dunedin is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater metropolitan area and is the fifth largest city in Pinellas County. The population was 36,068 as of the 2020 census.
Pinellas Park is a city located in central Pinellas County, United States. The population was 53,093 at the 2020 census. The city is the fourth largest city in Pinellas County. The City of Pinellas Park was incorporated in 1914. It is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area, most commonly referred to as the Tampa Bay Area.
St. Pete Beach is a coastal city in Pinellas County, Florida. Known as a tourist destination, St. Pete Beach was formed from the towns of Pass-a-Grille, Belle Vista, St. Petersburg Beach, and unincorporated Pinellas County. It is part of the Tampa Bay area. The population was 8,879 at the 2020 census.
St. Petersburg College (SPC) is a public college in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and one of the institutions in the system designated a "state college," as it offers a greater number of bachelor's degrees than traditional community colleges focused on associate degrees. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and enrolled about 29,000 students in the fall of 2018.
This is a timeline of history of the city of Largo, Florida, United States.
Gary is an industrial section located in the southeastern part of Tampa, Florida, mainly in the vicinity of Adamo Drive east of Downtown Tampa.
The Florida Digital Newspaper Library provides access to the news and history of Florida through local Florida newspapers. The Florida Digital Newspaper Library is supported by the University of Florida's George A. Smathers Libraries and hosted in the University of Florida Digital Collections funded partially by grants and sources, including Florida's Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grants Program, the National Endowment for the Humanities' National Digital Newspaper Program, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the University of Florida, by Florida Heritage Project funds from the University of North Florida and the University of South Florida, and with the assistance of digital library endowment from the Estate of the late Governor and Mrs. C. Farris Bryant.
The Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA) in Florida which extends from Marco Island on the south, to Brooksville on the north, and inland to Plant City, Arcadia and LaBelle on the east. As part of the ECUSA, the diocese is a constituent member of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Clearwater Athletic Field was a stadium in Clearwater, Florida. It was first used by professional baseball teams for spring training in 1923 and was the Phillies' first spring training ballpark in Clearwater. The grandstand sat approximately 2,000 and bleachers increased capacity to close to 3,000. Home plate was located on Pennsylvania Avenue, which ran south to north along the third base line, near Seminole Street. Left field ran parallel to Palmetto Street, and right field ran parallel to Greenwood Ave. The grandstand was destroyed by fire in April 1956.
The Largo Public Library is a public library located in Largo, Florida, United States. Located next to Largo Central Park, it serves a community of over 75,000 residents.
JMC Communities is a property developer in Florida. It developed the Sandpearl Resort on Clearwater Beach, built the Mandalay Beach Club and Belle Harbor condominium projects on Clearwater Beach and is planning to build a 6-story condo development in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. JMC previously built the Ovation "mega-tower" in St. Pete. The CEO of JMC Communities is Mike Cheezem.
The St. Petersburg Library System is a free public library system for residents of the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, located in Pinellas County. The St. Petersburg Library System is part of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative and consists of 7 branch locations.
The Clearwater Public Library System (CPLS) is a public library system with five branches that provides service to the citizens of Clearwater, Florida and Pinellas County. The library system was founded in 1911. It is a member of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative.
The University of South Florida Tampa Library is the main research library for the University of South Florida. Housing over 1.3 million books, academic journals and electronic resources, including 52,000 e-journal subscriptions, 443,000 e-books, and over 800 databases, the library has more than 2 million visitors each year. The library offers tutoring and writing services, laptops, a career resource center, and course reserves. The facility houses several special and digital collections, including literature, oral histories, photographs, artifacts, and the university archives. The current Dean of USF Libraries is Todd Chavez.
Christine Wigfall Morris was an American librarian. She was the first African American to become a librarian in Clearwater, Florida. She was known for inspiring a whole generation of local children to read.
Pinellas High School was a public high school from 1934 until 1968 in Clearwater, Florida. It served African Americans from the surrounding area of northern Pinellas County including Largo, Clearwater, Dunedin, Safety Harbor and Tarpon Springs during the era of segregation. It was at 1220 Palmetto Street. During its existence, it was the first segregated school in the region and it was the only school exclusively serving Black students in Pinellas County.